The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 18 : Health

Chapter 219 : Health Information Technology and Telehealth

Subchapter 001 : HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

• § 9353. Integration of health care data; reports

  (a) The Agency of Human Services shall collaborate with the Health Information Exchange Steering Committee in the development of the Unified Health Data Space in order to improve patient and provider access to relevant information, increase efficiencies and decrease administrative burdens on providers, and reduce health care system costs.

  (b) The Agency’s development of the Unified Health Data Space shall:

  (1) align with the statewide Health Information Technology Plan established pursuant to section 9351 of this title;

  (2) utilize the expertise of the Health Information Exchange Steering Committee;

  (3) incorporate appropriate privacy and security standards that are aligned with the best privacy and security interests of patients;

  (4) determine whether to integrate clinical data, claims data, data regarding social drivers of health and health-related social needs, and other data types and, if so, how to do so in a manner that protects proprietary information relating to payers and providers; provided, however, that integration of these data types or a subset of them shall not begin prior to January 1, 2027 and shall occur only upon the favorable vote of a majority of all voting members of the Health Information Exchange Steering Committee and only for the specific uses approved by a majority of all voting members of the Steering Committee;

  (5) if data is integrated in accordance with subdivision (4) of this subsection, limit the use of the integrated data to the specific uses approved by the Health Information Exchange Steering Committee;

  (6) ensure interoperability among contributing data sources and applications to enable use of the Unified Health Data Space;

  (7) identify the resources necessary to complete data linkages for policy, health surveillance, population health management, and research usage and for the data integration uses approved by the Health Information Exchange Steering Committee pursuant to subdivisions (4) and (5) of this subsection;

  (8) establish a timeline for setup and access to the integrated system;

  (9) develop and implement a system that ensures rapid access for patients and providers; and

  (10) identify additional opportunities for future development, including incorporating new data types and larger populations.

  (c) The Agency shall provide access to data to State agencies and health care providers as needed to support the goals of the Statewide Health Care Delivery Strategic Plan established pursuant to section 9403 of this title, once established, to the extent permitted by the data use agreements in place for each data set and the uses approved pursuant to subdivision (b)(4) of this section.

  (d)(1) On or before January 15, 2026, the Agency of Human Services shall report to the House Committees on Health Care and on Human Services and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare regarding the advantages and disadvantages of integrating clinical data, claims data, data regarding social drivers of health and health-related social needs, and other data types in the Unified Health Data Space; how an integrated system can improve patient and provider access to relevant information, increase efficiencies and decrease administrative burdens on providers, increase access to and quality of health care for Vermonters, and reduce health care system costs; and how an integrated system can be implemented in a manner that protects proprietary information relating to payers and providers.

  (2) On or before January 15 annually beginning in 2027, the Agency of Human Services shall provide an update to the House Committees on Health Care and on Human Services and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare regarding the development and implementation of the Unified Health Data Space in accordance with this section. (Added 2025, No. 68, § 10, eff. June 12, 2025.)