The integration of physical and behavioral health care requires the exchange of patient information. Federal and California law privacy requirements permit data sharing in many cases, but a lack of understanding of the legal framework, entrenched culture of siloed systems, and EHR systems that do not easily communicate make efficient data sharing difficult.

 
The California Health Care Foundation recently released Fine Print: Rules for Exchanging Behavioral Health Information in California, which describes federal and California laws that control the exchange of behavioral health information and profiles three California health care systems where care coordination has improved as a result of data sharing.

This webinar was designed for county and health plan staff and for providers from physical and behavioral health settings and cover:

• The federal and state laws that control sharing of behavioral health information in California, including specific consent requirements for substance use treatment data
• Federal and state developments in law and policy, including EHR interoperability
• Data-sharing successes and ongoing challenges in an initiative for severely mentally ill individuals

The speakers are:

• Robert Belfort, JD, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
• Kathleen Clanon, MD, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
• Mary Rainwater, consultant to CHCF
• Jennifer Schwartz, chief counsel, California Office of Health Information Integrity

During this webinar, the speakers present the legal framework and lessons from existing data-sharing initiatives. A recording of the event and the presentation slides are available here.