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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
technical correction; public records
(NOW: appropriation; healthcare; interoperability)
Purpose
Requires the Health Care Interoperability Grant Program (Grant Program), administered by the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA), to provide a single grant to a company that licenses an interoperability software technology solution to support acute care for outlined facilities. Appropriates $12,000,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2024 to ADOA for the single grant.
Background
In 2022, the Legislature directed ADOA to establish a three-year competitive Grant Program that provides interoperability software technology solutions to support rural hospitals, health care providers and urban trauma centers to further treatment care coordination with a focus on reducing public and private health care costs and unnecessary transportation costs. The software must be made available to participating rural hospitals, health care providers and urban trauma centers by enabling a hospital's electronic medical records system to interface with other electronic medical records systems and providers to promote connectivity between hospital systems and providers to promote connectivity between hospital systems and facilitate increased communication between hospital staff and providers that use different or distinctive online platforms and information systems when treating patients. The interoperability software technology solution and grant applicant must meet outlined requirements to be eligible for a grant. ADOA must award the first grant by December 31, 2022. The Grant Program terminates on June 30, 2026 (A.R.S. § 41-703.01; Laws 2022, Ch. 314).
H.B. 2423 appropriates $12,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to ADOA.
Provisions
1. Requires ADOA to administer the Grant Program to provide a single grant to a company that licenses an interoperability software technology solution to support acute care for rural hospitals, health care providers and trauma centers, rather than urban trauma centers, with resources to further treatment and care coordination.
2. Removes the termination date of the Grant Program.
3. Appropriates $12,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to ADOA for the grant award.
4. Extends the deadline for ADOA to award the grant from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2023.
5. Prohibits the grant recipient from using a third-party vendor to comply with any Grant Program requirements.
6. Requires the Grant Program to enable the implementation of a single licensed interoperability software technology solution that is accessible to current and future providers via a mobile, native smartphone application.
7. Requires the interoperability software technology solution software to:
a) enable a hospital's electronic medical records system to interface with interoperability technology;
b) enable providers to promote mobile connectivity between hospital systems and facilitate increased communication between hospital staff and providers that use different or distinctive mobile platforms when treating acute patients;
c) be capable of providing proactive alerts to health care providers on their smartphones or a smart device;
d) allow for synchronous and asynchronous communication via a native smartphone application; and
e) be mobile and capable of being used on multiple electronic devices.
8. Requires the mobile technology to include, at a minimum, the industry standard built-in application for the two most popular operating systems and a built-in application available to all users.
9. Requires the grant recipient to demonstrate that its interoperability software technology solution meets all outlined requirements at least 30 days before applying for the grant.
10. Requires the interoperability software technology solution license to be renewed annually.
11. Prohibits the appropriation to ADOA from affecting any appropriated monies or any award or contract granted to a recipient prior to the general effective date.
12. Prohibits the Grant Program modifications from applying to or invalidating any existing award or contract, and from being retroactively imposed on any existing grant recipient.
13. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.
14. Defines mobile and native.
15. Makes technical and conforming changes.
16. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by the Appropriations Committee
1. Prohibits the appropriation to ADOA from affecting any appropriated monies or any award or contract granted to a recipient prior to the general effective date.
2. Prohibits the Grant Program modifications from applying to or invalidating any existing award or contract, and from being retroactively imposed on any existing grant recipient.
House Action Senate Action
APPROP 2/20/23 DPA/SE 14-0-0-1 HHS 3/21/23 DP 6-1-0
3rd Read 2/28/23 31-28-1 APPROP 3/28/23 DPA 5-3-2
Prepared by Senate Research
March 29, 2023
MG/MC/slp