How we work

The State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan (SMHP) outlines Health Information Technology's (HIT) work on the Medicaid Transformation effort.

The HIT strategic roadmap lists high-level activities necessary to complete the SMHP and the operations plan outlines specific tasks to advance the strategic roadmap. Process outputs include the following.

  • Clinical Data Repository (CDR)
  • Promoting Interoperability Program (PIP), formerly the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Payment Program

Clinical Data Repository (CDR)

HIT staff coordinates with our designated Health Information Exchange (HIE) vendor, OneHealthPort, and our managed care organizations (MCOs) to identify care and technology gaps in the Medicaid enterprise and the care delivery system for our clients. We are in constant communication with providers, professional associations, tribes, and other agencies.

OneHealthPort provides technical onboarding assistance and web-based training to providers, and calls together provider groups addressing barriers, creating standards, and simplifying business processes.

As of February 1, 2017 providers meeting the following criteria must work with OneHealthPort to submit Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) from their EHR to the CDR.

  • Providers seeing Apple Health (Medicaid) clients.
  • Those with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) certified EHR technology.
  • Providers who received EHR incentive payment funds.

Find resources about the CDR

Promoting Interoperability Program (PIP)

HIT reviews federal PIP guidance and updates their systems and business processes to ensure timely and accurate incentive payments to eligible providers. This group includes acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals, or children’s hospitals with advanced nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, dentists, medical doctors, naturopaths, nurse practitioners, tribal providers, optometrists, physicians’ assistants, and/or podiatrists.

HIT leads and participates in national conversations so Washington provider voices are heard in federal program design and implementation. HIT informs providers of changes and delivers updates in monthly newsletters, live webinars, and in-person stakeholder visits. Eligible providers should be aware 2016 was the last year to enter the PI program, attesting is done through eMIPPs in ProviderOne, calendar year 2021 is the last year to receive EHR funding, and all payments must be issued by the end of 2021.

Find resources about PIP

The HIT operations plan

The HIT operations plan was created by HIT in collaboration with HCA’s Healthier Washington division and other staff. External contributors included Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs), physical and behavioral health providers, tribes, and other community partners. The plan coordinates operational parts of the CDR, PI program, and other initiatives impacting the Washington care delivery system. HIT staff and stakeholders communicate the plan in monthly public webinars to HCA staff, other agencies, professional associations, tribes, and provides.

HIT is in daily conversations with internal and external stakeholders about furthering these objectives: data and governance, master person index, provider directory, payment models and sources, CDR and HIE enhancements, prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) integration with the CDR, adding populations to the CDR, HCA’s commitment to tribes, behavioral health integration, and integrating other types of data with the CDR.

Find resources about the operations plan