nchie.org

About NC HIE

NC HIE operates North Carolina’s statewide health information exchange, a secure, standardized electronic system in which providers can share important patient health information.

The use of this system promotes the access, exchange, and analysis of health information.

NC HIE enables participating organizations to:

• · Save time and reduce paperwork
• Facilitate more informed treatment decision-making
• Leads to improved care coordination, higher quality of care, and better health outcomes

NC HIE Connectivity Subsidy Program

North Carolina Health Information Exchange (NC HIE) and the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance (NC DMA) have partnered together to offer a subsidy program that will help cover the costs of connecting qualifying ambulatory practices to NC HIE, enabling access to a wide array of NC HIE services and Meaningful Use reporting functionalities.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the subsidy program, a practice must be:

• a Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) – Carolina Access II practice OR
• be a paid participant of the NC Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program.

In addition, the practice must agree to contribute patient data to NC HIE in order to populate longitudinal patient records and, in the case of Medicaid recipients, agree to make data available to CCNC for the purposes of care management.

What costs are covered?

NC HIE integration costs to establish connectivity for eligible practices are covered by the subsidy. This includes functionality to electronically report immunization data and clinical quality measures to the State and the ability to report to the Central Cancer Registry and other disease registries. The subsidy may also cover some of the EHR vendor costs associated with this connection, but this will be determined on a practice/vendor-level basis. Costs not covered by the subsidy program include ongoing interface maintenance costs that may be charged by the EHR vendor and annual NC HIE subscription fees.

NC PATH

NC PATH is a collaboration between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), the North Carolina Health Information Exchange (NC HIE) and Allscripts. Its goal is to ensure that independent primary care and specialty providers and free clinics in North Carolina can deploy the critical technology necessary to meet legislative requirements and enhance patient care.

Enrollment in NC PATH enables participants to:

• Receive a certified EHR/PM system at an 85% reduced cost;
• Connect securely and seamlessly to the NC HIE portal, which facilitates clinical data exchange and care collaboration;
• Meet Stage 1 and 2 Meaningful Use criteria and qualify for federal EHR incentive payments;
• Gain access to AHEC-REC resources to acheive patient-centered medical home (PCMH) status; and
• Become eligible for higher reimbursement rates for those interested in and qualified for the BCBSNC Blue Quality Physician Program (BQPP).

A message from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina about NC PATH

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) appreciates all providers who care for the health and well-being of our North Carolina members. BCBSNC also recognizes the challenges independent health care providers must overcome to remain competitive in the crowded healthcare marketplace, such as adopting critical technology to comply with government mandates.

Because the costs associated with implementing these technologies can overwhelm practices, the North Carolina Program to Advance Technology for Health (NC PATH) is here to help. NC PATH offers a low-cost technology solution to eligible, independent providers and free clinics.

BCBSNC is invested in the success of NC PATH and has endowed $13.4 million to the program to assist primary care providers, some specialty providers, and free clinics with deploying the health care technologies they need to stay in business.