2024 & Beyond: SHIN-NY Reform Initiatives

The SHIN-NY has developed and evolved over the last 15 years with state, federal, and industry stakeholder support. In 2017, NYeC released a bold three-year strategic plan called the SHIN-NY 2020 Roadmap [PDF, 10.37 MB]. The Roadmap laid the groundwork for intensive work across the network that strengthened the SHIN-NY’s foundation, intentionally enhanced support for value based care, increased efficiency and affordability, fostered innovation and improved interoperability, and advocated for the network and its stakeholders on a variety of platforms.

In 2020, throughout the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the SHIN-NY was able to provide vital support to the healthcare and public health system in New York State responded to this crisis. The pandemic, however, also illuminated current and future interoperability and data needs of the Department of Health (DOH) and Medicaid that the SHIN-NY as it exists today is not able to satisfy.

In the years following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering from its impact on our most vulnerable populations, the DOH and Medicaid have worked with NYeC to chart a new direction for the SHIN-NY. Ultimately, the DOH introduced and finalized regulatory changes in July 2024 that were developed to 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. These amendments were the first made to the “SHIN-NY Regulation” since it was first adopted in 2016. View the Regulation here

As the State Designated Entity (SDE) named by DOH to provide leadership and oversight to the SHIN-NY, NYeC, in partnership with DOH, is charged with developing and executing operational, legal, and policy reform initiatives in support of these regulatory updates. The first and foundational component of SHIN-NY reform initiatives being implemented by NYeC, a proposed SHIN-NY Statewide Common Participation Agreement (SCPA) [PDF, 1.41 MB], is available for review and open for public comment between September 18, 2024 and October 18, 2024.

The proposed Statewide Common Participation Agreement (SCPA) – a new, common legal framework for all health care entities that participate in the SHIN-NY, will replace the numerous, different agreements which have historically governed participation in the SHIN-NY 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.

Below is a recording of a webinar held on September 18, 2024 providing an overview of the proposed SCPA, and you can access the slides from that presentation here [PDF, 642.97 KB].

Please note the public comment period has ended.