NC HealthConnex Information

Are you in compliance with NC State Law? 

To download and print the information below, please click here.

Due to the passage of House Bill 70, the requirement to connect to NCHealthConnex has now been delayed until June 1, 2020. 
Since doctors of chiropractic have physician status in the state and are considered a primary portal of care, the NCCA was unable to gain the inclusion of chiropractors into a voluntary category. The NCCA will continue to research cost-effective options for chiropractors to connect to the network. We will update this page when more information becomes available. 
There is a provision in the law for those who would like to request an exemption due to retirement. DHHS plans to work with the HIEA an exemption process. If you would like to file an exemption, please sign up for HIEA email updates to receive communications once that process is in place.To sign up for email updates click here.

Chiropractors Connecting to NC’s Health Information Exchange, NC HealthConnex

One of the goals of a transformed health care system is for nearly real-time clinical and demographic data to be made available to all health care providers involved in a patient’s care so that they can securely share health information concerning that patient with each other.

In North Carolina, this vision includes [Provider Type – Chiropractors]

North Carolina’s state-designated health information exchange, NC HealthConnex, was created in 2015 by the North Carolina General Assembly to help bridge the gap between disparate systems and health care networks to support whole patient care. With over 6 million unique patient records and growing, NC HealthConnex is working to connect the state’s health care providers to deliver a holistic view of a patient’s record. The North Carolina Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) is the agency managing the statewide NC HealthConnex.

What’s the law?
State law (NCSL 2015-241 as amended by NCSL 2017-57) requires that all health care providers who receive any state funds for the provision of health care services (e.g. Medicaid, NC Health Choice, State Health Plan, etc.) connect and submit patient demographic and clinical data to NC HealthConnex by certain dates in 2018 and 2019 in order to continue to receive payment for services.
  • Hospitals as defined by G.S. 131E-176(3), physicians licensed to practice under Article 1 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, physician assistants as defined in 21 NCAC 32S .0201 and nurse practitioners as defined in 21 NCAC 36 .0801 who provide Medicaid services and who have an electronic health record system shall connect by June 1, 2018.
  • All other providers of Medicaid and state-funded services shall connect by June 1, 2019. (Chiropractors Ch. 90 Article 8)
  • Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs), as defined in S.L. 2015-245, will be required to connect to the HIE per their contracts with the NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB). Clarifies that PHPs are required to submit encounter and claims data by the commencement of the contract with NC DHB.
  • LME/MCOs are required to submit claims and encounter data by June 1, 2020.

New from the 2018 Legislative Short Session, NCSL 2018-41:

  • Dentists and ambulatory surgical centers are required to submit clinical and demographic data by June 1, 2021
  • Pharmacies are required to submit claims data pertaining to State services once per day by June 1, 2021, using pharmacy industry standardized formats

How to Connect?

  1. The first step in connection is reviewing and signing the Participation Agreement. The Participation Agreement is the contract that governs the data sharing between your practice and the NC HIEA. This agreement can be easily found on our website with instructions for completion. For more information, visit our How to Connect Webpage.
  2. The second step is to have the technology in place. The NC HIEA Participation Agreement requests EHRs that are minimally capable of sending HL7 messages, version 2 and higher. EHR products that are ONC certified for Meaningful Use for the for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Incentive Programs are preferred. The NC HIEA has also created a technology specification and minimum data target that can be found here. This document can also be used to ensure that your EHR vendor can meet our technology standards.  

(information updated on 2/26/2019)