The Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE)

Yesterday, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE) sent a notice to all providers announcing a new agreement with their technology provider, CRISP Shared Services (CSS).

Assisted living facilities (ALFs), licensed under Chapter 429, Florida Statutes, are NOT required to enroll in or use the Florida HIE.

There is no state mandate or regulation requiring ALFs to participate at this time. ALFs may choose to join voluntarily if they see value in services like receiving hospital encounter alerts for their residents, which can help with timely follow-up care and coordination. However, this remains an optional decision for your community.  If you have any questions, check out their website at Home - FLHIE , or email info@flhie.org. There is a charge for requesting data.

Why This Matters to ALFs:

While not mandatory, voluntary participation could offer benefits such as:

• Faster access to hospitals discharge summaries or alerts for residents who experience acute events.

• Improved communication with hospitals, physicians, and other providers involved in resident care.

• Alignment with broader trends toward health information interoperability.

If your facility is interested in exploring voluntary participation, you can learn more or contact the Florida HIE team for details on enrollment, costs (fees remain stable during the transition), and technical setup.

For More Information Visit the official Florida HIE website: https://www.flhie.org/ Email: FLHII@ahca.myflorida.com or info@flhie.org Phone: Contact AHCA's Health Information Exchange office for assistance.

What is the Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE)? The Florida HIE is a secure, statewide electronic system that allows participating healthcare providers, hospitals, health systems, payers, and other authorized entities to share patient health information quickly and safely. This helps improve care coordination, reduce duplicate tests, support better transitions between care settings (such as from hospitals to long-term care), enhance patient safety, and meet federal interoperability standards like CMS e-notification requirements for certain facilities.

Key services include:

• Encounter Notification Service (ENS): Alerts when a patient has a hospital admission, discharge, or transfer.

• Patient Record Exchange: Allows querying and sharing of clinical data across participants.

• Secure messaging and other tools to support efficient, privacy-protected information sharing.

The system complies with HIPAA and Florida privacy laws, requiring patient consent (typically an opt-in model) for most routine exchanges, with exceptions for emergencies or required public health reporting.

Current Participation Requirements Participation in the Florida HIE is voluntary for most healthcare entities.

• Hospitals and certain other acute care providers often participate to meet federal requirements (e.g., CMS Conditions of Participation for electronic notifications).

• As of regulations effective in July 2025, all skilled nursing facilities (SNFs/nursing homes) in Florida are required to enroll in the Florida HIE to support care coordination and interoperability.

The ongoing transition of the Florida HIE platform (from the previous vendor to CRISP Shared Services, with full implementation expected around mid-2026) primarily affects existing participants and those with specific mandates (like SNFs). It does not impose new requirements on ALFs.