HCAI convenes Data Exchange Framework advisory committee; sets timeline under SB 660

The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) on April convened a newly formed stakeholder advisory committee to guide implementation of California's Data Exchange Framework, department leaders said. The committee will advise HCAI on program administration and is charged by statute to help produce a legislative report required under Senate Bill 660.

HCAI Director Elizabeth Landsberg opened the meeting by saying the department would rely on the committee’s expertise as it administers the DXF and asks members to help shape deliverables for the report the department must file in 2027. "We can't have affordable, high‑quality, equitable, accessible health care without meaningful data exchange," Landsberg said, calling the committee's work "very important." The committee includes representatives from state agencies, safety‑net providers, health plans, qualified health information organizations, labor and consumer advocates.

Why it matters: Senate Bill 660, signed into law last year, designates HCAI as the DXF administrator, expands the classes of organizations required to execute the DXF data‑sharing agreement (DSA), codifies the QHIO program, and sets timelines: by July 1, 2026 the DSA must be a contracting condition for certain state purchasers and by January 1, 2027 HCAI must publish a list of required entities that have not executed the DSA. HCAI said the legislative report due in July 2027 must assess who is participating, the compliance pathways they used, whether additional enforcement or governance is needed, and recommendations for collecting demographic and health‑related social‑needs data.

Background and next steps: HCAI staff reviewed the DXF's origins (Assembly Bill 133 created the DXF), the DSA and 15 policies and procedures developed since 2021, and operational programs including the QHIO program, a statewide participant directory, a grants program and ongoing impact measurement. Staff told the committee the department plans a series of seven meetings over the coming year to develop evidence and recommendations. Jacob Parkinson, the program director for the DXF, said HCAI will present data and options and expects the committee to help craft the legislative report and recommendations on enforcement, technical assistance and governance.

Committee action: Following a facilitated prioritization exercise, Chair Jennifer Sales moved to adopt a ranked list of discretionary priorities for committee attention; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call. The committee's top priorities (in the order adopted) are: a FHIR adoption road map for the DXF, advancing social‑services data exchange, consent management work, and individual access; funding and participant directory improvements followed. The motion and roll call were recorded in the meeting minutes.

What the committee will do next: Staff said they will return with more granular data, draft options and implementation timelines for the prioritized topics, along with specific proposals for the July 2027 legislative report. Public comment at the meeting urged early attention to social‑services data and closed‑loop referral and placement coordination; several committee members pressed for clearer denominators and outcomes measures so HCAI may show whether interoperability improves patient outcomes and reduces duplicative costs.

The committee adjourned at 3:43 p.m. and will reconvene per the schedule announced by HCAI.