Electronic consent management

ConsentLink background

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is the first Medicaid agency in the nation to launch a fully operational electronic consent management solution, ConsentLink.

ConsentLink marks a major milestone in modernizing how patient consent is managed across Washington State. The six-month pilot demonstrated measurable improvements in consent accessibility, legal compliance, and administrative efficiency, confirming the value of electronic consent in supporting coordinated, person-centered care. The first use case in ConsentLink was substance use disorder (SUD) data exchange consents. Based on provider feedback, HCA is now expanding to include consents which allow additional types of data exchanges.

The ECM Program

Consent management in healthcare has historically been fragmented. Each organization has developed its own process, leading to inconsistent consent practices, administrative burden, and barriers to effective care coordination. HCA began working with providers in 2020 to identify pain points in managing consent—through focus groups, surveys, webinars, and stakeholder engagement. This work led to the creation of the ECM Program, a statewide initiative to support the secure, digital exchange of health information by modernizing how consent is captured, shared and managed.

The ECM Program purpose

The ECM Program exists to reduce the friction that providers face when navigating legal, operational, and technological barriers in capturing client consent for sharing health data. Our mission is to improve how patient consent is managed so that providers can spend less time on paperwork and more time delivering care.

We are committed to:

• Reducing administrative burden.
• Ensuring compliance with legal frameworks like HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2.
• Improving continuity of care across systems and services.

What is ConsentLink?

ConsentLink is Washington’s cloud-based, electronic consent management service. It was developed as part of the Medicaid Enterprise System (MES) and is fully certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It has also passed a state Security Design Review (SDR) and earned System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type 1 and Type 2 certifications. The platform allows providers to electronically create, manage, and share patient-authorized consents. This reduces dependence on paper, faxing, and other manual consent tracking methods.

ConsentLink supports modernized data exchange while meeting strict privacy and legal standards. It is especially helpful for organizations relying on paper-based processes, offering a practical on-ramp into digital consent workflows.

Who is ConsentLink for?

ConsentLink is currently available to organizations that:

• Provide services to Apple Health (Medicaid) clients.
• Use HIPAA or 42 CFR Part 2-compliant consent forms.
• Are based in Washington State.

ConsentLink supports consent form templates related to the exchange of sensitive client health data. These include consent forms compliant with HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 which comprise of the required elements for written consent and include the legal data use verbiage.

Futures phases of ConsentLink

Future phases of ConsentLink are expected to expand support for other types of consent templates, including those related to:

• Tribal services
• Genetic testing
• Advance directives
• Social determinants of health

Future data exchange for client referrals and other follow ups after an encounter with the newly-launched 988 crisis line are also planned to integrate with the electronic consent management service. Learn how the ECM solution works with HCA's other technology initiatives.

Get started with ConsentLink

Schedule a one-on-one call with the ECM Program to see if ConsentLink is right for your organization and begin the onboarding process.

To schedule a call, email the ECM Program.

Webinars

• Electronic consent management FAQ

Resources

• Electronic consent management resources