STAND. COM. REP. NO 3094

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 36

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 36 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND DESIGNATING THE HAWAII HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE AS THE ONLY FULLY OPERATIONAL, STATEWIDE HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE OPERATING IN HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to recognize and designate the Hawaii Health Information Exchange as the only fully operational, statewide health information exchange operating in Hawaii.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Hawai‘i Health Information Exchange; Hawaii Health Information Corporation; Health Information Management and Systems Society, Hawaii-Alaska Chapter; and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that the purpose of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange is to improve health care delivery across Hawaii through a seamless, effective, safe, and secure health information exchange.  The Hawaii Health Information Exchange currently fills a very important leadership role in carrying out the health information technology elements of health care transformation and has the potential to do much more as the State's designated nonprofit partner.  Your Committee further finds that besides building technical infrastructure, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange supports the adoption and use of health information technology as the trusted, neutral source for expertise and as the convener of health care providers to discuss and align health information technology initiatives.

     This measure formally recognizes and designates the Hawaii Health Information Exchange as the only fully operational statewide health information exchange in Hawaii.  Such designation will encourage the continued advancement of health care transformation initiatives throughout the State, including the Hawaii Health Information Exchange and State's mutual goal of statewide real-time exchange of electronic patient data.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 36, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 36, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair