HOUSE BILL 780

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005

INTRODUCED BY

John A. Heaton

AN ACT

RELATING TO HEALTH; DIRECTING THE NEW MEXICO HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION TO LEAD A STUDY TO PREPARE FOR A STATEWIDE HEALTH CARE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR USE BY PATIENTS, PROVIDERS AND ALL PARTIES TO THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. NEW MEXICO HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION--ELECTRONIC HEALTH DATA STUDY.--

          A. The New Mexico health policy commission shall lead a nineteen-member task force to study the development and implementation of a single statewide electronic health care information system to combine consumer, provider, payer and state agency health information data, resources, needs and access.

          B. Members of the task force shall include:

                (1) the director of the New Mexico health policy commission or a designee, who shall chair the task force;

                (2) the secretary of health or a designee;

                (3) the secretary of human services or a designee;

                (4) the chief information officer or a designee;

                (5) the superintendent of insurance or a designee;

                (6) the director of the risk management division of the general services department or a designee;

                (7) the director of the New Mexico health insurance alliance or a designee;

                (8) a representative of a statewide health maintenance organization, appointed by the governor;

                (9) a representative of a statewide point-of-service health insurer, appointed by the governor; and

                (10) ten public members appointed by the governor to represent the various advocacy, consumer, geographic, ethnic and age populations of New Mexico.

          C. The task force shall meet monthly or at the call of the chair. Members shall serve until the work of the task force is completed. The governor shall appoint persons to fill any vacancies. Members shall receive per diem and mileage as provided for in the Per Diem and Mileage Act for state officers.

          D. The New Mexico health policy commission may contract with specialists in various aspects of the study but shall provide basic research staff and administrative needs as required.

     Section 2. TASK FORCE DUTIES.--The task force shall consider the following factors:

          A. the respective needs of the various users of the system, as well as effort involved in contributing to the system;

          B. the security and privacy, in accord with state and federal requirements, of individual patient records;

          C. early identification of all stakeholders in the health care system and invitations to participate, especially to professional and other provider groups;

          D. provisions for a personal health record with a unique patient identification for all patients, with access by all appropriate persons;

          E. the ability to gather, store, recall and alter data efficiently and cost effectively;

          F. the ability for patients to access their personal health records for increased awareness, involvement in and responsibility for their own health care, health care decisions and health care costs;

          G. the ability of any point-of-care provider to quickly access relevant patient medical information, both routinely and in emergencies;

          H. provisions for patients and other users to access current, reliable, evidence-based treatment guidelines, standards and protocols, including standards of care, and to limit liability exposure, and relate this information to a patient's records;

          I. provisions to enhance public health through population-based epidemiological studies, automated notification of reportable diseases and maintenance of statistical databases and registries while maintaining individuals' privacy;

          J. inclusion of factors necessary or generally used to measure results and improvements in the quality of health care, patient safety, reduction of medical errors and a reduction in duplication of health care services;

           K. methods for financing both initial changes and ongoing maintenance costs for each person participating in the system;

          L. consideration of adoption of national and regional health care technology and standards, including those in use by the federal veterans administration; and

          M. before the final report is due, consideration and recommendation of a pilot electronic health care information system.

     Section 3. TASK FORCE REPORT.--The New Mexico health policy commission shall present a progress report on the task force study to the legislative health and human services committee, the legislative finance committee and the governor in November 2005 and 2006 and the final report, including legislative recommendations and estimated appropriations required, to the same parties in September 2007.

     Section 4. APPROPRIATION.--Two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the New Mexico health policy commission for expenditure in fiscal years 2006 through 2008 to accomplish the study required by this act. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

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