Committee advances bill to create governance and accountability for California health data exchange
Summary
SB 660 would create a governance body to implement the state's Health and Human Services data exchange framework, increase accountability for signatories, and require public comment and an appeals process for policies; the Assembly Health Committee referred the bill to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection with planned amendments.
The Assembly Health Committee voted to send SB 660 to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection after supporters said the measure would establish governance, accountability and technical rules for the state's Health and Human Services data exchange framework.
The author told the committee that while the framework for sharing health data across providers exists, implementation and compliance have been uneven and that no standing body currently develops procedures, adjudicates disputes or enforces commitments. "We want a governing body with experts at the table, from consumer advocates to the secretary of CalHHS, so that entities who sign onto data sharing obligations have clear policies and accountability," the author said.
Supporters included community health center consortia, qualified health information organizations and nonprofit hubs that said real‑time, standards‑based exchange improves care coordination and reduced readmissions. Max Perre of Aliento Health (a community‑health center consortium) said clinics need confidence that hospitals, plans and other partners are committed to exchange. Jason Moriarty of Partners in Care Foundation described a pilot showing a 50% reduction in readmissions when real‑time discharge alerts were exchanged with social‑services providers.
Opposition and concerns came from some vendors and the California Hospital Association, which asked for ongoing discussion about technical feasibility, smaller provider capacity and governance scope. The author said committee amendments would address technical details and require a public comment period before new policies, an appeals process and alignment with the CalHHS reorganization.
The committee recorded a roll call and moved SB 660 to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection; the author and supporters said they would continue to refine language to protect smaller providers while ensuring accountability for signatories.
