Passed by the Senate April 18, 2005 YEAS 38 NAYS 0 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 6, 2005 YEAS 98 NAYS 0 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives		CERTIFICATE I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5064 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington		FILED Secretary of State State of Washington

AN ACT Relating to electronic medical records and health information technologies; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The Washington state health care authority shall appoint a Washington health information infrastructure advisory board composed of seven to twelve members.
     (2) Membership shall include representatives of the provider community, including hospitals, information technology experts, health care policy experts, health plan representatives, consumers, the director of the department of information services or the director's designee, and the agency medical directors group.
     (3) The authority shall appoint the chair of the advisory board.
     (4) The members of the advisory board shall receive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses under RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The Washington state health care authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall develop a strategy for the adoption and use of electronic medical records and health information technologies that are consistent with emerging national standards and promote interoperability of health information systems. The strategy should:
     (a) Be informed by research into, and identification of the best practices in, electronic medical records systems and health information technologies, including system design, implementation, operation, and evaluation;
     (b) Be designed to encourage greater adoption of electronic medical record and health information technologies among the state's health care providers that reduce medical errors and enable patients to make better decisions about their own health care by promoting secure access to medical records online; and
     (c) Seek to promote standards and systems that are compatible with current adopters of electronic medical record systems in Washington.
     (2) The authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall identify obstacles to the implementation of an effective health information infrastructure in the state and provide policy recommendations to remove or minimize those obstacles and identify state health care purchasing strategies that can provide incentives to providers and organizations that adopt effective health information technologies.
     (3) The authority shall advise appropriate parties within the legislature and the executive branch on issues related to the development and implementation of a health information infrastructure.
     (4) The authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall ensure that the strategy and plan preserve the privacy and security of health information, as required by state and federal law.
     (5) As used in this section, "health information technologies" means a computerized system that provides access to patients' medical records in an electronic format, including e-mail communication, clinical alerts and reminders, and other information technologies as prescribed by the administrator.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   (1) The Washington state health care authority shall provide staff support to the advisory board. In addition, all agencies under the control of the governor are directed, and all other agencies are requested, to render full assistance and cooperation to the advisory board.
     (2) The authority may enter into contracts that are necessary or proper to carry out this act to support the advisory board and the authority in the performance of their duties. Such contracts may be awarded for purposes including, but not limited to, the following:
     (a) Assessing the existing information technology systems of health care providers, state agencies, and third-party payers;
     (b) Identifying current national trends in the development of health information systems and standards;
     (c) Determining the feasibility of integrating and connecting existing systems with emerging and recommended health information standards and technologies; and
     (d) Identifying available government or private grants for the study of or implementation of health information systems.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 The authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall submit an interim status report on its preliminary findings by December 1, 2005. A final report of findings and recommendations shall be submitted by December 1, 2006.