Officials say federal grant and Healthy Connect could bring behavioral-health records into state exchange

Anchorage committee members heard that integrating behavioral-health records into the state's Health Information Exchange (HIE) could improve crisis response by giving mobile crisis teams and hospitals access to patient histories and medication lists.

"When a patient is picked up in your crisis by your crisis teams or is identified at the hospital ... you'll know what medications they're on," Wendy Chamberlain said, describing the operational benefit of connecting behavioral-health providers and municipal teams to Healthy Connect, the state's HIE.

Chamberlain told members a statute bill for the health information exchange will be introduced, but she emphasized that the primary work is technical: ensuring behavioral-health systems and municipal records all report into the same exchange and portal used by hospitals and community health centers.

She said funding is available from the federal Health Transformation Fund, which provides roughly $250 million per state per year over five years; Alaska's first-year award was reported in the meeting as about $278'$287 million to begin HIE enhancements.

Why it matters: Committee members said access to consolidated records could be a "game changer" for municipal mobile crisis teams who currently lack on-the-spot history for people they encounter. The change raises privacy and HIPAA considerations, which Chamberlain said the exchange meets.

Next steps: Chamberlain said she would meet with the state commissioner next week and that the health exchange is likely to be an early candidate for funding under the state's health-transformation planning.