SB 628

Generally, this bill makes various changes to the collection, analysis, and

dissemination of data by an entity that is under contract to collect, analyzed, and

disseminate health care information of hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers

(entity).

Currently, the entity collects claims information, and the bill requires hospitals

and ambulatory surgery centers to submit to the entity all data elements specified

by the entity that are contained in the applicable American National Standards

Institute 837 format used for electronic data interchange or in a successor format

specified by the entity.

Under current law, the entity is required to release data, after verification,

comment, and review, in formats including custom-designed reports containing

parts of public use data files of information submitted by hospitals and ambulatory

surgery centers. Those custom-designed reports currently may include a patient's

zip code only if another requirement to protect patient identity is satisfied. The bill

also allows the custom-designed reports to contain census tract or block groups of

the U.S. Bureau of the Census if one of those same requirements to protect patient

identity is satisfied.

Under current law, the Department of Health Services or the entity may not

require a health care provider to submit a patient's street address. The bill requires

a hospital or ambulatory surgery center to submit a patient's street address as

directed by the entity. The entity, however, may only use the street address to create

a calculated variable or to convert to the corresponding census tract and block group

and then must destroy the street address information.

The bill allows the entity to fulfill requirements to distribute reports by

providing an electronic copy, unless a paper copy is specifically requested. The bill

requires the entity to notify Wisconsin-licensed physicians who appear in submitted

data that they have the opportunity to review that submitted data. The bill also

exempts from the definition of "patient-identifiable data" the patient's race or

ethnicity.