State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/11/14.
AN ACT Relating to improving the effectiveness of health care purchasing and transforming the health care delivery system by advancing value-based purchasing, promoting community health, and providing greater integration of chronic illness care and needed social supports; amending RCW 42.56.360 and 70.02.045; adding new sections to chapter 41.05 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 48.02 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 74.09 RCW; adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that the state of
Washington has an opportunity to transform its health care delivery
system through multipayer payment reform, the development of a
statewide comprehensive prevention framework, and other state-led
initiatives in line with the state health care innovation plan.
(2) The state health care innovation plan establishes the following
primary drivers of health transformation, each with individual key
actions that are necessary to achieve the objective:
(a) Improve health overall by building healthy communities and
people through prevention and early mitigation of disease throughout
the lifespan;
(b) Improve chronic illness care through better integration and
strengthening of linkages between the health care delivery system and
community, particularly for individuals with physical and behavioral
comorbidities; and
(c) Advance value-based purchasing across the community, and lead
by example in transforming how the state purchases health care
services.
(3) The legislature intends to facilitate the implementation of
these improvements by:
(a) Establishing an all-payer claims database that improves
transparency for patients, providers, hospitals, and purchasers;
(b) Developing standard statewide performance and quality measures
to inform purchasing and set benchmarks;
(c) Supporting the initiatives of regional collaboratives to
achieve healthy communities and populations, improve health care
quality, and lower costs;
(d) Disseminating evidence-based training, tools, and other
resources to providers and hospitals; and
(e) Supporting integration of services for physical health,
behavioral health, and chemical dependency by restructuring medicaid
procurement.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 (1) The health care authority is responsible
for coordination, implementation, and administration of interagency
efforts and local collaborations of public and private organizations to
implement the state health care innovation plan.
(2) By January 1, 2015, and January 1st of each year through
January 1, 2019, the health care authority shall coordinate and submit
a status report to the appropriate committees of the legislature
regarding implementation of the innovation plan. The report must
summarize any actions taken to implement the innovation plan, progress
toward achieving the aims of the innovation plan, and anticipated
future implementation efforts. In addition, the health care authority
shall submit any recommendations for legislation necessary to implement
the innovation plan.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 41.05 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) An accountable collaborative for health is a regionally based,
voluntary collaborative designated by the authority, the purpose of
which is to align actions and initiatives of a diverse coalition of
members to achieve healthy communities and populations, improve health
care quality, and lower costs. "Accountable collaborative for health"
is a term used to recognize entities that are currently active and
those that may become active that perform the functions described in
this section. This term is used only to assist in directing funding or
other support that may be available to these local entities. The
designation of an entity as an accountable collaborative for health is
not intended to create an additional government entity.
(2) By September 1, 2014, the authority shall establish boundaries
for up to nine regions for accountable collaboratives for health as
provided in this subsection. Counties, through the Washington state
association of counties, must be given the opportunity to propose the
boundaries of the regions. If counties do not submit proposed
boundaries for the regions by July 1, 2014, the task force on the adult
behavioral health system created by section 1, chapter 338, Laws of
2013 shall submit proposed boundaries to the authority by August 1,
2014. The boundaries must be based on county borders and must be
consistent with medicaid procurement regions.
(3) The authority shall develop a process for designating an entity
as an accountable collaborative for health. An entity seeking
designation is eligible if:
(a) It is a nonprofit or public-private partnership;
(b) Its membership is broad and incorporates key stakeholders, such
as the long-term care system, the health care delivery system,
behavioral health, social supports and services, primary care and
specialty providers, hospitals, consumers, small and large employers,
health plans, and public health, with no single entity or
organizational cohort serving in a majority capacity; and
(c) It demonstrates an ongoing capacity to:
(i) Lead health improvement activities within the region with other
local systems to improve health outcomes and the overall health of the
community, improve health care quality, and lower costs;
(ii) Distribute tools and resources from the health extension
program created in section 6 of this act; and
(iii) Act in alignment with statewide health care initiatives by
using the statewide all-payer health care claims database created in
section 9 of this act, the statewide health performance and quality
measures developed pursuant to section 13 of this act, and outcome
measures reflecting local health needs as identified by the accountable
collaborative for health.
(4) The authority may designate more than one accountable
collaborative for health in any region that consists of more than one
county, but an accountable collaborative for health may not cross the
regional boundaries defined by the authority or overlap with another
accountable collaborative for health.
(5) An entity designated by the authority as an accountable
collaborative for health must convene key stakeholders to:
(a) Review existing data, including data collected through the
community health assessment process;
(b) Evaluate the region's progress toward the objectives of the
national healthy people 2020 initiative and the priorities identified
in community health assessments and community health improvement plans;
(c) Assess the region's capacity to address chronic care needs,
including the needs of persons with co-occurring disorders;
(d) Review available funding and resources; and
(e) Identify and prioritize or reaffirm regional health care needs
and prevention strategies and develop a plan or use an existing plan to
address those needs.
(6) For purposes of this section and section 4 of this act, the
authority may only adopt rules that are necessary to implement this
section and section 4 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 41.05 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The authority shall, subject to the availability of amounts
appropriated or grants received for this specific purpose, award grants
to support the development of accountable collaboratives for health.
Grants may only be used for start-up costs.
(2) An entity may be eligible for a grant under this section if it
has been designated as an accountable collaborative for health under
section 3 of this act. A grant application must, at a minimum:
(a) Identify the geographic region served by the applicant;
(b) Demonstrate how the applicant's structure and operation reflect
the interests of and are accountable to the region and the state for
health improvement; and
(c) Indicate the size of the grant being requested and describe how
the money will be spent.
(3) In awarding grants under this section, the authority shall
consider the extent to which the applicant will:
(a) Further the purposes of state health care purchasing as
described in sections 1 and 17 of this act;
(b) Base decisions on public input and an active collaboration
among key community partners, including, but not limited to, local
governments, housing providers, school districts, early learning
regional coalitions, large and small businesses, labor organizations,
health and human service organizations, tribal governments, health
carriers, providers, hospitals, public health agencies, and consumers;
(c) Match the grant funding with funds from other sources; and
(d) Demonstrate capability for sustainability without reliance on
state general fund appropriations.
(4) The authority may prioritize applications that commit to
providing at least one dollar in matching funds for each grant dollar
awarded.
(5) Before grant funds are disbursed, the authority and the
applicant must agree on performance requirements and the consequences
for failing to meet those requirements. The performance requirements
must be aligned with the purposes of state health care purchasing as
described in sections 1 and 17 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 A new section is added to chapter 41.05 RCW
to read as follows:
Any entity designated as an accountable collaborative for health
pursuant to section 3 of this act shall submit a report to the
appropriate committees of the legislature and the authority beginning
December 1, 2015, and December 1st of each year through December 1,
2019. The report must:
(1) Describe the regional health care needs identified by the
entity and key stakeholders to date, the plan developed to address
those needs, any actions taken by the entity and other stakeholders
pursuant to the plan, and any measurable progress toward meeting those
needs;
(2) Identify any grant funds received by the entity pursuant to
section 4 of this act; and
(3) For the final report, demonstrate the entity's capability for
sustainability without reliance on state general fund appropriations.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 A new section is added to chapter 43.70 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this
specific purpose, the department shall establish a health extension
program to provide training, tools, and technical assistance to primary
care, behavioral health, and other providers. The program must
emphasize high quality preventive, chronic disease, and behavioral
health care that is comprehensive and evidence-based. If the
department contracts for services under this section, it may only
contract with an organization that has demonstrated the ability to
provide educational services to providers, clinics, and hospitals on
the topics listed in subsection (2) of this section.
(2) The health extension program must coordinate dissemination of
evidence-based tools and resources that promote:
(a) Integration of physical and behavioral health;
(b) Clinical information systems with sharing and organization of
patient data;
(c) Clinical decision support to promote evidence-based care;
(d) Reports of the Robert Bree collaborative created by RCW
70.250.050 and findings of health technology assessments under RCW
70.14.080 through 70.14.130;
(e) Methods of formal assessment;
(f) Support for patients managing their own conditions;
(g) Identification and use of resources that are available in the
community for patients and their families, including community health
workers; and
(h) Practice transformation, including, but not limited to, team-
based care, shared decision making, use of population level health data
and management, and quality improvement linked to common statewide
performance measures.
(3) The department may adopt rules necessary to implement this
section, but may not adopt rules, policies, or procedures beyond the
scope of authority granted in this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 The definitions in this section apply
throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Authority" means the health care authority.
(2) "Carrier" and "health carrier" have the same meaning as in RCW
48.43.005.
(3) "Claims data" means the data required by section 10 of this act
to be submitted to the database, as defined by the director in rule.
"Claims data" includes, but is not limited to:
(a) Claims data for fully insured plans; and
(b) Claims data related to health care coverage and services
funded, in whole or in part, in the omnibus appropriations act,
including coverage and services funded by appropriated and
nonappropriated state and federal moneys.
(4) "Data supplier" means a health carrier or an employer that
provides health insurance to its employees. It does not include any
entity, other than a state or local governmental entity, that is self-insured.
(5) "Database" means the statewide all-payer health care claims
database established in section 9 of this act.
(6) "Director" means the director of financial management.
(7) "Lead organization" means the organization selected under
section 9 of this act.
(8) "Office" means the office of financial management.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 The legislature finds that:
(1) The activities authorized by this chapter will require
collaboration among state agencies and local governments that purchase
health care, private health carriers, third-party purchasers, health
care providers, and hospitals. These activities will identify
strategies to increase the quality and effectiveness of health care
delivered in Washington state and are therefore in the best interest of
the public.
(2) The benefits of collaboration, together with active state
supervision, outweigh potential adverse impacts. Therefore, the
legislature intends to exempt from state antitrust laws, and provide
immunity through the state action doctrine from federal antitrust laws,
activities that are undertaken, reviewed, and approved by the office
pursuant to this chapter that might otherwise be constrained by such
laws. The legislature does not intend and does not authorize any
person or entity to engage in activities not provided for by this
chapter, and the legislature neither exempts nor provides immunity for
such activities including, but not limited to, agreements among
competing providers or carriers to set prices or specific levels of
reimbursement for health care services.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 (1) The office shall establish a statewide
all-payer health care claims database to support transparent public
reporting of health care information. The database must improve
transparency to: Assist patients, providers, and hospitals to make
informed choices about care; enable providers, hospitals, and
communities to improve by benchmarking their performance against that
of others by focusing on best practices; enable purchasers to identify
value, build expectations into their purchasing strategy, and reward
improvements over time; and promote competition based on quality and
cost.
(2) The director shall select a lead organization to coordinate and
manage the database. The lead organization is responsible for internal
governance, management, funding, and operations of the database. At
the direction of the office, the lead organization shall:
(a) Collect claims data from data suppliers as provided in section
10 of this act;
(b) Design data collection mechanisms with consideration for the
time and cost involved in collection and the benefits that measurement
would achieve;
(c) Ensure protection of collected data and store and use any data
with patient-specific information in a manner that protects patient
privacy;
(d) Consistent with the requirements of this chapter, make
information from the database available as a resource for public and
private entities, including carriers, employers, providers, hospitals,
and purchasers of health care;
(e) Report performance on cost and quality pursuant to section 14
of this act using, but not limited to, the performance measures
developed under section 13 of this act;
(f) Develop protocols and policies to ensure the quality of data
releases;
(g) Develop a plan for the financial sustainability of the database
and charge fees not to exceed five thousand dollars for reports and
data files as needed to fund the database. Any fees must be approved
by the office and must be comparable across data requesters and users;
and
(h) Convene advisory committees with the approval and participation
of the office, including: (i) A committee on data policy development;
and (ii) a committee to establish a data release process consistent
with the requirements of this chapter and to provide advice regarding
formal data release requests. The advisory committees must include
representation from key provider, hospital, payer, public health,
health maintenance organization, purchaser, and consumer organizations.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 (1) Data suppliers must submit claims data
to the database within the time frames established by the director in
rule and in accordance with procedures established by the lead
organization.
(2) An entity that is not a data supplier but that chooses to
participate in the database shall require any third-party administrator
utilized by the entity's plan to release, at no additional cost, any
claims data related to persons receiving health coverage from the plan.
(3) Each data supplier shall submit an annual status report to the
office regarding its compliance with this section. The report to the
legislature required by section 2 of this act must include a summary of
these status reports.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 (1) The claims data provided to the
database, the database itself, including the data compilation, and any
raw data received from the database are not public records and are
exempt from public disclosure under chapter 42.56 RCW.
(2) Claims data obtained in the course of activities undertaken
pursuant to or supported under this chapter are not subject to subpoena
or similar compulsory process in any civil or criminal, judicial, or
administrative proceeding, nor may any individual or organization with
lawful access to data under this chapter be compelled to testify with
regard to such data, except that data pertaining to a party in
litigation may be subject to subpoena or similar compulsory process in
an action brought by or on behalf of such individual to enforce any
liability arising under this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 (1) Except as otherwise required by law,
claims or other data from the database shall only be available for
retrieval in original or processed form to public and private
requesters pursuant to this section and shall be made available within
a reasonable time after the request.
(2) Except as otherwise required by law, the office shall direct
the lead organization to maintain the confidentiality of claims or
other data it collects for the database that include direct and
indirect patient identifiers. Any agency, researcher, or other person
that receives claims or other data under this section containing direct
or indirect patient identifiers must also maintain confidentiality and
may not release such claims or other data except as consistent with
this section. The office shall oversee the lead organization's release
of data as follows:
(a) Claims or other data that include direct or indirect patient
identifiers, as specifically defined in rule, may be released to:
(i) Federal, state, and local government agencies upon receipt of
a signed data use agreement with the office and the lead organization;
and
(ii) Researchers with approval of an institutional review board
upon receipt of a signed confidentiality agreement with the office and
the lead organization.
(b) Claims or other data that do not contain direct patient
identifiers but that may contain indirect patient identifiers may be
released to agencies, researchers, and other persons upon receipt of a
signed data use agreement with the lead organization.
(c) Claims or other data that do not contain direct or indirect
patient identifiers may be released upon request.
(3) Recipients of claims or other data under subsection (2)(a) or
(b) of this section must agree in a data use agreement or a
confidentiality agreement to, at a minimum:
(a) Take steps to protect direct and indirect patient identifying
information as described in the agreement; and
(b) Not redisclose the data except as authorized in the agreement
consistent with the purpose of the agreement or as otherwise required
by law.
(4) Recipients of the claims or other data under subsection (2)(b)
of this section must not attempt to determine the identity of persons
whose information is included in the data set or use the claims or
other data in any manner that identifies the individuals or their
families.
(5) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(a) "Direct patient identifier" means information that identifies
a patient.
(b) "Indirect patient identifier" means information that may
identify a patient when combined with other information.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 (1) There is created a performance measures
committee, the purpose of which is to identify and recommend standard
statewide measures of health performance to inform public and private
health care purchasers and set benchmarks to track costs and
improvements in health outcomes. The committee shall coordinate its
activities and recommendations with the lead organization selected
under section 9 of this act.
(2) Members of the committee must include representation from state
agencies, small and large employers, health plans, patient groups,
consumers, academic experts on health care measurement, hospitals,
physicians, and other providers. The governor shall appoint the
members of the committee, except that a statewide association
representing hospitals may appoint a member representing hospitals and
a statewide association representing physicians may appoint a member
representing physicians. The governor shall ensure that members
represent diverse geographic locations and both rural and urban
communities. The chief executive officer of the lead organization must
also serve on the committee. The committee must be chaired by the
director of the authority.
(3) The committee shall develop a transparent process for selecting
performance measures, and the process must include opportunities for
public comment.
(4) By January 1, 2015, the committee shall submit the performance
measures to the authority. The measures must include dimensions of:
(a) Prevention and screening;
(b) Effective management of chronic conditions;
(c) Key health outcomes;
(d) Care coordination and patient safety; and
(e) Use of the lowest cost, highest quality care for acute
conditions.
(5) The committee shall develop a measure set that:
(a) Is of manageable size;
(b) Is based on readily available claims and clinical data;
(c) Gives preference to nationally reported measures and, where
nationally reported measures may not be appropriate, measures used by
the health benefit exchange and state agencies that purchase health
care;
(d) Focuses on the overall performance of the system, including
outcomes and total cost;
(e) Is aligned with the governor's performance management system
measures and common measure requirements specific to medicaid delivery
systems under RCW 70.320.020 and 43.20A.895;
(f) Considers the needs of different stakeholders and the
populations served; and
(g) Is usable by multiple payers, providers, hospitals, purchasers,
public health, and communities as part of health improvement, care
improvement, provider payment systems, benefit design, and
administrative simplification for providers and hospitals.
(6) State agencies shall use the measure set developed under this
section to inform purchasing decisions and set benchmarks.
(7) The committee shall establish a public process to periodically
evaluate the measure set and make additions or changes to the measure
set as needed.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 (1) Under the supervision of the office,
the lead organization shall prepare health care data reports using the
database and the statewide health performance and quality measure set,
including only those measures that can be completed with readily
available claims data. Prior to releasing any health care data reports
that use claims data, the lead organization must submit the reports to
the office for review and approval.
(2)(a) Health care data reports prepared by the lead organization
that use claims data must assist the legislature and the public with
awareness and promotion of transparency in the health care market by
reporting on:
(i) Whether providers and health systems deliver efficient, high
quality care; and
(ii) Geographic and other variations in medical care and costs as
demonstrated by data available to the lead organization.
(b) Measures in the health care data reports should be stratified
by demography, income, language, health status, and geography when
feasible with available data to identify disparities in care and
successful efforts to reduce disparities.
(c) Comparisons of costs among providers and health care systems
must account for differences in acuity of patients, as appropriate and
feasible, and must take into consideration the cost impact of
subsidization for uninsured and governmental patients, as well as
teaching expenses, when feasible with available data.
(3) The lead organization may not publish any data or health care
data reports that:
(a) Directly or indirectly identify patients; or
(b) Disclose specific terms of contracts, discounts, or fixed
reimbursement arrangements or other specific reimbursement arrangements
between an individual provider and a specific payer.
(4) The lead organization may not release a report that compares
and identifies providers, hospitals, or data suppliers unless it:
(a) Allows the data supplier, the hospital, or the provider to
verify the accuracy of the information submitted to the lead
organization and submit to the lead organization any corrections of
errors with supporting evidence and comments within forty-five days of
receipt of the report; and
(b) Corrects data found to be in error within a reasonable amount
of time.
(5) The office and the lead organization may use claims data to
identify and make available information on payers, providers, and
facilities, but may not use claims data to recommend or incentivize
direct contracting between providers and employers.
(6) The lead organization shall ensure that no individual data
supplier comprises more than twenty-five percent of the claims data
used in any report or other analysis generated from the database. For
purposes of this subsection, a "data supplier" means a carrier and any
self-insured employer that uses the carrier's provider contracts.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 15 (1) The director shall adopt any rules
necessary to implement this chapter, including:
(a) Definitions of claim and data files that data suppliers must
submit to the database, including: Files for covered medical services,
pharmacy claims, and dental claims; member eligibility and enrollment
data; and provider data with necessary identifiers;
(b) Deadlines for submission of claim files;
(c) Penalties for failure to submit claim files as required;
(d) Procedures for ensuring that all data received from data
suppliers are securely collected and stored in compliance with state
and federal law; and
(e) Procedures for ensuring compliance with state and federal
privacy laws.
(2) The director may not adopt rules, policies, or procedures
beyond the authority granted in this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 16 A new section is added to chapter 48.02 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The commissioner may not use data acquired from the statewide
all-payer health care claims database created in section 9 of this act
for purposes of reviewing rates pursuant to this title.
(2) The commissioner's authority to access data from any other
source for rate review pursuant to this title is not otherwise
curtailed, even if that data may have been separately submitted to the
statewide all-payer health care claims database.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 17 A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Consistent with the implementation of the state health care
innovation plan and the provisions of RCW 70.320.020, the authority and
the department shall restructure medicaid procurement of health care
services and agreements with managed care systems on a phased basis to
better support integrated physical health, mental health, and chemical
dependency treatment. By January 1, 2019, medicaid services provided
under this chapter and chapters 71.24, 71.36, and 70.96A RCW must be
fully integrated in a managed health care system that provides mental
health, chemical dependency, and medical care services to medicaid
clients. The authority and the department shall develop and utilize
innovative mechanisms to promote and sustain integrated clinical models
of physical and behavioral health care such as: Practice
transformation support and resources; workforce capacity and
flexibility; shared clinical information sharing, tools, resources, and
training; and outcome-based payments to providers and hospitals.
(2) The authority and the department shall incorporate the
following principles into future medicaid procurement efforts aimed at
integrating the delivery of physical and behavioral health services:
(a) Facilitating equitable access to effective behavioral health
services for adults and children is a state priority;
(b) Recognition that the delivery of better integrated, person-centered care to meet enrollees' physical and behavioral health care
needs is a shared responsibility of contracted regional support
networks, managed health care systems, service providers, hospitals,
the state, and communities;
(c) Medicaid purchasing must support delivery of integrated,
person-centered care that addresses the spectrum of individuals' health
needs in the context of the communities in which they live and with the
availability of care continuity as their health needs change;
(d) Accountability for the client outcomes established in RCW
43.20A.895 and 71.36.025 and performance measures linked to those
outcomes;
(e) Medicaid benefit design must recognize that adequate preventive
care, crisis intervention, and support services promote a recovery-focused approach;
(f) Evidence-based care interventions and continuous quality
improvement must be enforced through contract specifications and
performance measures, including the statewide measure set under section
13 of this act, that provide meaningful integration at the patient care
level with broadly distributed accountability for results;
(g) Active purchasing and oversight of medicaid managed care
contracts is a state responsibility;
(h) A deliberate and flexible system change plan with identified
benchmarks and periodic readiness reviews will promote system
stability, provide continuity of treatment for patients, and protect
essential existing behavioral health system infrastructure and
capacity; and
(i) Community and organizational readiness are key determinants of
implementation timing; a phased approach is therefore desirable.
(3) The principles identified in subsection (2) of this section are
not intended to create an individual entitlement to services.
Sec. 18 RCW 42.56.360 and 2013 c 19 s 47 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The following health care information is exempt from disclosure
under this chapter:
(a) Information obtained by the pharmacy quality assurance
commission as provided in RCW 69.45.090;
(b) Information obtained by the pharmacy quality assurance
commission or the department of health and its representatives as
provided in RCW 69.41.044, 69.41.280, and 18.64.420;
(c) Information and documents created specifically for, and
collected and maintained by a quality improvement committee under RCW
43.70.510, 70.230.080, or 70.41.200, or by a peer review committee
under RCW 4.24.250, or by a quality assurance committee pursuant to RCW
74.42.640 or 18.20.390, or by a hospital, as defined in RCW 43.70.056,
for reporting of health care-associated infections under RCW 43.70.056,
a notification of an incident under RCW 70.56.040(5), and reports
regarding adverse events under RCW 70.56.020(2)(b), regardless of which
agency is in possession of the information and documents;
(d)(i) Proprietary financial and commercial information that the
submitting entity, with review by the department of health,
specifically identifies at the time it is submitted and that is
provided to or obtained by the department of health in connection with
an application for, or the supervision of, an antitrust exemption
sought by the submitting entity under RCW 43.72.310;
(ii) If a request for such information is received, the submitting
entity must be notified of the request. Within ten business days of
receipt of the notice, the submitting entity shall provide a written
statement of the continuing need for confidentiality, which shall be
provided to the requester. Upon receipt of such notice, the department
of health shall continue to treat information designated under this
subsection (1)(d) as exempt from disclosure;
(iii) If the requester initiates an action to compel disclosure
under this chapter, the submitting entity must be joined as a party to
demonstrate the continuing need for confidentiality;
(e) Records of the entity obtained in an action under RCW 18.71.300
through 18.71.340;
(f) Complaints filed under chapter 18.130 RCW after July 27, 1997,
to the extent provided in RCW 18.130.095(1);
(g) Information obtained by the department of health under chapter
70.225 RCW;
(h) Information collected by the department of health under chapter
70.245 RCW except as provided in RCW 70.245.150;
(i) Cardiac and stroke system performance data submitted to
national, state, or local data collection systems under RCW
70.168.150(2)(b); ((and))
(j) All documents, including completed forms, received pursuant to
a wellness program under RCW 41.04.362, but not statistical reports
that do not identify an individual; and
(k) Data and information exempt from disclosure under section 11 of
this act.
(2) Chapter 70.02 RCW applies to public inspection and copying of
health care information of patients.
(3)(a) Documents related to infant mortality reviews conducted
pursuant to RCW 70.05.170 are exempt from disclosure as provided for in
RCW 70.05.170(3).
(b)(i) If an agency provides copies of public records to another
agency that are exempt from public disclosure under this subsection
(3), those records remain exempt to the same extent the records were
exempt in the possession of the originating entity.
(ii) For notice purposes only, agencies providing exempt records
under this subsection (3) to other agencies may mark any exempt records
as "exempt" so that the receiving agency is aware of the exemption,
however whether or not a record is marked exempt does not affect
whether the record is actually exempt from disclosure.
Sec. 19 RCW 70.02.045 and 2000 c 5 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
Third-party payors shall not release health care information
disclosed under this chapter, except as required by chapter 43.--- RCW
(the new chapter created in section 21 of this act) and to the extent
that health care providers are authorized to do so under RCW 70.02.050.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 20 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 21 Sections 7 through 15 of this act
constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 22 Sections 3 through 5 of this act expire
July 1, 2020.