Do I need consent from my patients to participate in Cal INDEX?

This will depend based upon your specific covenants with your patient population. You should check with your legal counsel based upon your specific situation. In general, specific consent is not required, but all patients will have the opportunity and permission to choose not to participate in Cal INDEX.

Once Cal INDEX becomes operational later this year, patients will receive information about Cal INDEX that will allow them to make an informed choice about whether to opt-out of having their information accessible through Cal INDEX.  They can opt-out by filling out the online form or calling a designated telephone number. A patient from participating providers or health plans may opt-out of having their information accessible through Cal INDEX at any time.

What data will I get access to?

Providers will get access to clinical EMR data from other providers, as well as clinical information derived from claims data from payers. The data will be for any patient with whom they have a current payer or treatment relationship.

Rules will be established on how to certify that a provider has an active therapeutic relationship with an individual.

How will I access the data?

Data can be accessed via a single portal that will provide multiple views across a provider’s population, sub-population and individual patient levels

What am I allowed to do with the data?

Providers can utilize the data within HIPAA-compliant activities as the data is PHI. This includes the support of treatment, business operations, clinical operations and research. Research must abide by a set of standards and principles to ensure scientific rigor and patient protection.

Will my patients have access to their own personal health data in Cal INDEX?

While Cal INDEX will not initially offer patient access, we intend to pursue such access in the near future.

How will you prevent a data breach?

Cal INDEX adheres to privacy and security standards established by federal and state entities. The Cal INDEX system is highly secure, using advanced and up-to-date security systems, including physically secured systems, complex passwords and modern encryption techniques.

Frequent internal and external audits and security penetration testing serve as a foundation to enforce system security.

What information will be included in the Longitudinal Pateint Record (LPR)?

An LPR is a comprehensive, retrievable, patient-centered record that integrates payer and provider data over time. LPRs will initially be populated with payer information (e.g., demographics, medical and Rx information). Providers who participate will enrich this data with clinical information from electronic medical records (EMRs) and facility admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) systems (as examples).

How will Cal INDEX interface with my exisiting administrative/financial/EMR systems?

Cal INDEX will establish a bi-directional data interface with providers to exchange data with EMRs and other hospital and office-based systems.

How much will I have to pay to participate in Cal INDEX?

Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross created Cal INDEX as an independent not-for-profit and are providing funding to sustain it for its first three years of operation. This funding will cover Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross patients on the platform. Should providers desire to add additional patients not covered by a participating health plan, they will have the ability to contract directly with Cal INDEX to sponsor those additional patients.

After three years, all participating healthcare providers and insurers will pay subscription fees.