03/27/2009 01:15 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

         SB 133-ELECTRONIC HEALTH INFO EXCHANGE SYSTEM                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:35:03 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SB 133.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to adopt  the proposed committee substitute                                                               
for SB 133, labeled 26-LS0489\ S, as the working document.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN said  this amendment is in  conformance with what                                                               
the members expressed interest in.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DAVIS   asked  if  Senator  Paskavan   would  explain  the                                                               
amendment to those who are present.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN deferred to his aid, Jake Hamburg.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:36:31 PM                                                                                                                    
JAKE  HAMBURG,  staff  to  Senator  Paskvan,  advised  that  Paul                                                               
Sherry, Rebecca  Madison [Alaska eHealth Network]  and the deputy                                                               
commissioner are on  line to answer questions as  needed. He said                                                               
there  were three  changes made  to  the original  bill based  on                                                               
discussions during the last committee hearing.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
   · First, new language on page 4, lines 7-10 provides the                                                                     
     department   with   added  flexibility   while   maintaining                                                               
     multiple   stakeholder   representation.  Under   that   new                                                               
     language,  the department  has the  option to  designate one                                                               
     entity or a combination of  entities to fulfill the purposes                                                               
     of Section 2.                                                                                                              
   · Second, the department's duties were clarified by adding                                                                   
     Section 18.23.305 in the CS on  page 4, beginning at line 22                                                               
     through page 5, line 2.                                                                                                    
   · Third, there was a request for more specific member                                                                        
     representation to sit on an  advisory or governing board for                                                               
     the  designated entity  and that  can  be found  on page  4,                                                               
     lines  11-21   addressing  more  specific   governing  board                                                               
     membership requirements.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The  privacy  protections  outlined  in the  original  bill  were                                                               
preserved and are unchanged.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:38:35 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS removed her objection.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS advised  that there are people who have  signed up to                                                               
testify via  teleconference and she  would like to allow  them to                                                               
speak before moving the bill out.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:39:30 PM                                                                                                                    
PAUL   SHERRY,  President/CEO,   Alaska   Native  Tribal   Health                                                               
Consortium  (ANTHC), Anchorage,  AK, said  that ANTHC  has worked                                                               
with  the department  since  the  last hearing  on  this bill  to                                                               
clarify  these  roles  and  the  provision  for  the  stakeholder                                                               
involvement.  They   appreciate  what  they  understand   as  the                                                               
department's readiness  to move  forward with  this and  urge the                                                               
legislature  and the  department  to move  expeditiously to  take                                                               
advantage of stimulus  funds in this area. They  also continue to                                                               
encourage the department to work  closely with the Alaska eHealth                                                               
Network, which  has put a  couple of  years of advance  work into                                                               
this  process   and  is   ready  to   move  the   effort  forward                                                               
collaboratively.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DAVIS  said  John  Sherwood   and  Mike  Lesman  from  the                                                               
Department  of  Health  and  Social   Services  (DHSS)  are  also                                                               
available to speak to the bill.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:41:00 PM                                                                                                                    
BILL  STREUR,  Deputy  Commissioner,  Medicaid  and  Health  Care                                                               
Policy,  Department of  Health and  Social Services,  Juneau, AK,                                                               
said the  department supports  movement toward  electronic health                                                               
records,  health  information  exchanges and  health  information                                                               
technology in general;  this is the future of health  care in the                                                               
State of  Alaska. The stimulus  bill provides a  rare opportunity                                                               
for the  state to receive  significant financial  assistance from                                                               
the  federal government,  but  the state  has  to follow  certain                                                               
rules and  guidelines for that  money. The department  has worked                                                               
very closely  with the bill  sponsor and others in  the community                                                               
to ensure they  have the latitude to meet  those guidelines. They                                                               
remain concerned  with the distribution of  downstream costs, but                                                               
believe they can  be fairly distributed as  the program develops.                                                               
The CS has  addressed the department's concerns  and they support                                                               
this bill.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:42:06 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  DAVIS came  back to  the bill  and said  she was  ready to                                                               
entertain a motion.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:42:17 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR THOMAS moved to report CS  for SB 133 from committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  attached  fiscal note(s).  There                                                               
being no objection, CSSB 133(HSS) moved from committee.