Behavioral health exchange pilot successful, but challenges remain

A pilot project for the interstate exchange of electronic behavioral health data helped identify challenges with using Direct, both technical and operational, according to an Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) blog post.

The pilot, conducted through the Behavioral Health Data Exchange Consortium, also demonstrated that such exchanges can be performed. The pilot included a coalition of states, along with ONC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Many providers and patients wish to electronically exchange behavioral health data, according to the post authored by John Rancourt, a public health analyst in ONC's Office of Health Information Exchange and H. Westley Clark, MD, JD, MPH, director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. "However, federal laws (such as 42 CFR Part 2, the federal rules protecting the confidentiality of certain information related to treatment for substance abuse) and state laws that provide important privacy protections have created complex challenges for sharing behavioral health information electronically."

“The objective of the consortium project was to execute at least one successful pilot demonstrating the ability of providers to exchange behavioral health data electronically across state lines,” according to the report.

As part of the pilot project, multiple successful exchanges of de-identified data were conducted between behavioral health providers in Florida and Alabama. These exchanges employed checklists, created by the consortium, for making and responding to requests for behavioral health information, according to Rancourt and Clark.

The report provides details about the project’s plans, challenges, successes and products and includes a set of policies and procedures, educational materials and lessons learned.

Read the final report (and addendum).