Later this year, Blue Shield of California will mandate network providers participate in Manifest MedEx, the state's nonprofit health information network.
The insurer is asking its ACO providers to sign a participation agreement with Manifest by Aug. 31, and its other providers sign an agreement as part of their next contract renewal. Blue Shield's requirement is in line with CMS' initiative to enhance interoperability, portability and availability of medical data.
Manifest facilitates the secure exchange of 11 million patient claims records and 5 million patient health records for more than 200 participating providers.
"Providers have made enormous investments in technology and infrastructure," Paul Markovich, Blue Shield of California's president and CEO, said. "These investments will be even more valuable when the data they collect is shared and combined with other health information to create a comprehensive patient record that helps improve the quality of care."
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