HIE - Health Information Exchange

HIE Information, Benefits, and Opt-Out Details

Ventura County Medical Center, Santa Paula Hospital and Ambulatory Clinics (VCHCA) have a connected medical record system which allows your medical providers to view and keep up-to-date information on your medical history, whether you’re being seen in our clinics or hospitals.

In order to provide safe, efficient, and effective care, we have partnered with a number of “Health Information Exchanges” (HIEs) which allow sharing of your health information across secure data networks. This means that if you require emergency or specialist care outside of your normal “medical home”, your providers (including potentially doctors, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, skilled nursing facilities) who participate in the same HIEs can have access to a more complete medical history, without delay.

By default, in California, HIEs are “opt-out”, meaning that every patient is automatically enrolled after we inform patients about the use of such systems, unless they choose not to share their information. You can choose to opt-out at any time if you have privacy concerns. You may decide to remain enrolled with one HIE while opting out of others, but if you opt-out of all HIEs, your healthcare team may not have all of the needed information to provide safe/effective care in an urgent/emergent situation, if your records are stored in multiple systems.

Due to specific regulations and laws, certain patient data is not transmitted to our HIEs, even if you are opted in for your data sharing, including: Public Health billing information, Client Billing, Family Pact, Patient data for patients aged 12-17 years old, Self-pay encounters, and certain sensitive/protected diagnoses/problems/labs/results.

Please pay careful attention to the details below regarding “opt-out” policies, as it may be necessary to notify each location/system of your intent to opt-out when you receive medical care within multiple clinic/hospital systems.

Benefits, Differences and Details about our HIEs:

VCHCA currently participates in two major HIE networks: (1) CommonWell/CareQuality, and (2) Manifest Medex (Mx).

	CommonWell/CareQuality	Manifest Medex (Mx)
Benefits:	Nationwide network improves likelihood of obtaining relevant information in an emergency away from your “medical home”. Sharing of clinic notes, labs, problems/diagnoses, allergies, medications with your medical providers.	Local/State-wide network. Possible subscription notifications to your provider/care-team for instant notification if you are seen in an outside clinic/ER. Population Health: “Patients or public health agencies could access certain data, including access to de-identified data to examine health trends in California.” “MX could make de-identified data available to health researchers but will not sell de-identified data for a profit.”
Member organizations: (Who can access your data?)	Providers, Hospitals and clinics who have a treating relationship with a patient.	Providers, Hospitals and Clinics Insurance Companies and Health Plans Pharmacies and prescription drug benefit managers
	CommonWell/CareQuality	Manifest Medex (Mx)
Data Sharing and Transmission:	Data is stored in the original system, and a copy can be retrieved by the treating provider through a search when you receive care, with the option to store that copy in the receiving system. No system stores all of your data, which reduces your risk of data exposure in a security breach.	All data is automatically transmitted to and stored by Manifest Medex when you receive care, or when new results (labs/radiology) become available. Data may also be downloaded from Manifest Medex and stored in a treating provider’s system.
Opt-Out Policies
VCHCA Opt-out: what happens to future data?	Your future visits and notes will not show up if other CommonWell/CareQuality facilities search for records on you and there will be nothing to download (if your account/record is still enrolled in CommonWell at other organizations, you’ll need to un-enroll at each organization or your data may still be shared among the still-enrolled facilities).	Your new data will not be transmitted to Manifest Medex from our facilities, but previously submitted data will still be stored by Manifest Medex and shared with other facilities using the Mx network, and outside facilities may still be sharing your data with Manifest Medex and partners.
VCHCA Opt-out: what happens to previously shared data?	Your previous visits and notes from Ventura County will not show up if other CommonWell/CareQuality facilities search for records on you. Any notes downloaded by the facility during previous visits will still remain in that system (and if your account/record is still enrolled in CommonWell at other organizations, you’ll need to un-enroll at each organization or your data may still be shared among the still-enrolled facilities).	Your previously transmitted data will still be stored by Manifest Medex and shared with other facilities using the Mx network, and outside facilities may still be sharing your data with Manifest Medex and partners.
VCHCA Opt-out: what happens if I decide to Opt-In after having been opted out?	New visits/notes created after opting in again will be available at other facilities. Notes/data created when you were opted out will not be available, though some medical data from that time period may be incorporated into future notes and data that gets transmitted along with new results.	Your new data will resume transmission to Manifest Medex. Data created within our system while you were opted out will not be available in the Manifest Medex HIE exchange, though some medical data from that time period may be incorporated into future notes and data that gets transmitted along with new results.
Manifest Medex Website Opt-Out: what happens to future data?	N/A	Unless you have also “locally opted out” of Manifest Medex with VCHCA, your new medical data will continue to be transmitted and stored by Manifest Medex, but it will not be shared with other facilities using the Mx network while you are “opted out”.
Manifest Medex Website Opt-Out: what happens to previously shared data?	N/A	Your previously transmitted data will still be stored by Manifest Medex but it will not be shared with other facilities using the Mx network while you are “opted out”. Manifest Medex does not provide an option for you to request your data be completely deleted from their system- it is just hidden from view/sharing.
Manifest Medex Website Opt-out: what happens if I decide to Opt-In after having been opted out?	N/A	Because Manifest Medex continues to collect all of your medical data while you are opted out via their website (unless you have also locally opted out and not received care from or have locally opted out with other Mx members), when you opt-in again, all of your previous and future medical data will be un-hidden and available to all partners.
Opt-Out Instructions
Opt-Out Best Practices:	To fully opt-out of Commonwell/CareQuality, you should notify VCHCA and complete the opt-out form, and also “unenroll/opt-out” with all other outside partners.	To full opt-out of Manifest Medex, you should complete the VCHCA opt-out process for Manifest Medex AND fill out the form on the Manifest Medex website, or call the phone number listed below.
VCHCA Local Opt-out:	Commonwell/CareQuality: http://vchca.org/health-information-exchange (or opt-out with registration staff at your visit)	Manifest Medex: http://vchca.org/health-information-exchange (or opt-out with registration staff at your visit)
Manifest Medex Global Opt-Out:	N/A	MX will require anyone who wants to opt-out of having their information shared through MX to document their opt out directly with MX by either using the online form on the MX website (https://www.manifestmedex.org/opt-out) or by calling MX at 1 (800) 490-7617. Providers who want to assist patients with the opt-out process may fill out the online form with the patient, and provide the required information about the person completing the form on behalf of the patient.
Additional Details/FAQ:		https://www.manifestmedex.org/opt-out/faqs