Author: Provider Services
Per Session Law (S.L.) 2015-241, as of June 1, 2018, hospitals, mid-level physicians and nurse practitioners who currently have an electronic health record system must be connected to NC HealthConnex to continue to receive payments for North Carolina Medicaid and NC Health Choice (NCHC) services.
NC HealthConnex links disparate systems and existing North Carolina HIE networks together to deliver a holistic view of a patient’s record. It currently houses 3.9 million unique patient records, allowing providers to access their patients’ comprehensive records across multiple providers, and review consolidated lists of items including labs, diagnoses, allergies and medications.
By June 1, 2019, all other Medicaid and state-funded providers must be connected, including the State Health Plan, (North Carolina Blue Cross Blue Shield State Health Plan), Program for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) and state grants.
The NC Health Information Exchange Authority (HIEA), the NC Department of Information Technology agency that manages NC HealthConnex, will host “How to Connect” webinars the last Monday of each month at noon to educate providers affected by this law, describe the technical and onboarding requirements, and answer questions about the legal Participation Agreement that governs the data connection. To register for the next webinar at noon on Monday, April 30, visit nchealthconnex.gov.
NC HIEA, in collaboration with the NC Department of Health and Human Services, has developed a process that allows health care providers to request extensions to complete their connection to NC HealthConnex. To request a connection extension, providers must:
- Have signed an NC HIEA Participation Agreement and
- Can demonstrate how their organization plans to connect to NC HealthConnex within one calendar year.
If the provider organization meets these criteria, complete a form located at nchealthconnex.gov/providers/extension-process.
Note: This extension process is not a request for a waiver or exemption from the state’s requirements, but an extension of time to meet the state’s requirements.
Providers can learn more at nchealthconnex.gov/how-connect. Providers with questions can contact the NC HIEA staff at 919-754-6912 or hiea@nc.gov.
Provider Services
DMA, 919-855-4050