FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2024
Contact:
Alexandra Fitz
afitz@nyehealth.org
New York eHealth Collaborative Announces SHIN-NY Regulatory Reform Initiatives
On Monday, September 16, 2024, the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) announced that it will begin a series of reform initiatives to implement recent amendments to the regulations governing the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) adopted by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) on July 10, 2024. As the State Designated Entity (SDE) named by DOH to provide leadership and oversight to the SHIN-NY, NYeC, in partnership with DOH, is developing and executing operational, legal, and policy reform initiatives in support of the new regulations. These regulatory changes will enhance the capabilities of the SHIN-NY and establish a framework for modernizing health information exchange throughout the state in further support of SHIN-NY participants and New York’s public health and Medicaid needs.
In the coming months, NYeC will be releasing additional detail on the key components of these SHIN-NY transformation initiatives, including opportunity for public comment and feedback.
The first of the reform initiatives to be announced, which will lay a foundation for those to follow, is the implementation of a uniform Statewide Common Participation Agreement (SCPA) – a new, common legal framework for all health care entities that participate in the SHIN-NY. The proposed SCPA will replace the numerous, different agreements which have historically governed participation in the SHINNY through the participating organization’s regional Qualified Entity (QE). A single, statewide SHIN-NY participation agreement will provide uniformity and reduce redundancy, enabling the SHIN-NY to provide seamless, consistent statewide services; improve efficiency; and ensure optimal data use, under a common set of privacy and security standards, for existing purposes as well as New York’s public health and Medicaid purposes.
Once implemented, all SHIN-NY QEs and participants will be required to enter into the new SCPA. Pending NYeC Board approval, NYeC anticipates releasing the proposed SCPA for a 30-day public comment period this month and initiating the signing process in early 2025. A public webinar to provide an overview of the new SCPA will be held on Wednesday, September 18th at 11:00 AM. Registration for this webinar can be completed here. Adoption of the 2024 SHIN-NY regulatory reforms – the first since the original 2016 regulation – will also ensure more robust and representative stakeholder engagement through an expanded Statewide Collaboration Process (SCP), a single statewide form of patient consent and a statewide consent registry, modernization of state-funded services provided to SHIN-NY participants, improved efficiencies though leveraging of national networks, and more.
About New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC)
The New York eHealth Collaborative is a non-profit organization serving as the State Designated Entity (SDE) for health information exchange in partnership with the New York State Department of Health (DOH). NYeC and DOH lead the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), a network connecting healthcare professionals, health and human services organizations, public health authorities, and regional health information networks (known as Qualified Entities) across the state. In its role as SDE, NYeC is responsible for administration of the Statewide Common Participation Agreement (SCPA) and other central coordination functions for the SHIN-NY. NYeC will continue to share updates and opportunities for stakeholder engagement online at www.nyehealth.org.