Electronic health records.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law, until July 1, 2021, and only to the extent that federal participation is available, requires the department to establish and administer the Medi-Cal Electronic Health Records Incentive Program to provide federal incentive payments to Medi-Cal providers for the implementation and use of electronic health records systems. Existing law requires the department to develop the State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan, as specified, for federal approval, and requires the department to accept applications from, and make incentive payments to, eligible professionals and facilities that meet all of the standards of the federal Electronic Health Record Technology Program. Existing law requires the state plan to specify criteria for enrollment, eligibility, and data collection, and to specify a process for provider outreach and department coordination with established regional extension centers in the state, among other plan components. This bill would additionally require the State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan to specify the process by which patient advance health care directive information would be managed, including the secure preparation, storage, printing, and display of the patient's advance health direction information, as prescribed.