Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Stephen Dean, Chief Information Officer, San Mateo County Health
Subject: Appropriation Transfer Request to accept a grant from Department of Health Care Services for implementation of a Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Eligibility System
RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) in the amount of $100,000 accepting unanticipated revenue for Health Information Technology, budget subunit 5560B, increasing Intergovernmental Revenue and Services and Supplies.
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BACKGROUND:
On October 7th, 2020, Health IT was granted an award from Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to implement connections to the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). This system is a database containing information about Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substance prescriptions dispensed to patients, as reported by the dispensing pharmacy, clinic, or other dispenser pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 11165(d). The CURES Program grants authorized prescribers and dispensers access to query the CURES database to assist them in their efforts to ensure appropriate prescribing, ordering, administering, furnishing, and dispensing of controlled substances to individuals under their care.
CURES is currently available through modern Electronic Health Record systems, however many of the providers with whom San Mateo County Health (SMCH) shares patients either do not have such systems or do not have the resources to implement and maintain CURES connections. DHCS is providing funding to Qualified Health Information Organizations such as San Mateo County Connected Care (SMCCC) to implement and maintain these connections to better control system access.
DISCUSSION:
Facilitating this level of data access and data sharing for organizations with whom SMCH shares patients has the potential to improve patient care outcomes. SMCCC can become the hub for other smaller provider organizations to be able to access this vital information being provided by State and Federal agencies. Grant funds will be used to connect SMCCC to CURES and to connect these smaller provider organizations to SMCCC, in order to access CURES. The grant funding will also be used to develop the Data Use Agreements with the provider organizations and the Department of Justice. These agreements are necessary to ensure all connected parties understand the protections necessary when accessing this data which has both Personal Health Information and law enforcement related HIPAA protected information.
SMCCC currently only contains controlled substance information when the controlled substance is prescribed or administered to patients via our SMCH providers or via providers already connected to SMCCC. Currently our Health Information Exchange is utilized primarily by SMCH divisions - most notably the San Mateo County Medical Center and Behavioral Health and Recovery Services - but its use within San Mateo County is expanding. We can currently access care records from other large provider organizations such as Kaiser, Stanford, Sutter Mills Peninsula, and Sequoia Hospital.
Implementation of the CURES interface for our health partners will help ensure that all shared patients are given the highest quality care possible. It also expands the number of San Mateo County residents whose health is positively impacted by technology and programs within SMCH.
This Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) request will allow Health IT to continue to provide software, hardware, and staff resources with unanticipated revenue that is also being allocated to help fund the efforts.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the grant is October 7, 2020 through September 30 ,2021. This ATR increases the budget for Health IT by $100,000 with no associated Net County Cost.