Civitas Networks for Health® is a national collaborative of member organizations working to use health information exchange, health data, and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health. We were in Anaheim, California, this year for the Civitas Networks for Health 2025 Annual Conference. Join us as we recap selected sessions from this year’s events!
Monday, September 29, 2025
This panel discussion focused on strategies and challenges in health information exchange and interoperability within California’s complex healthcare landscape.
Health plans tend to serve as a convener, providing incentives and funding to providers to access HIEs like LANES and incorporating HIE use into their contracts. CalAIM legislation, backed by significant investments, is driving HIE adoption, with requirements for ADT (Admission, Discharge, Transfer) feeds already showing results, though state data silos still need to be addressed.
Jen Tuteur, a PCP and Chief Medical Officer for San Diego County, emphasized the impact of health information exchange on local disease surveillance and improving healthcare workforce satisfaction. San Diego is working with Medicaid health plans to ensure consistent use of a Community Information Exchange (CIE) or HIE through agreements called Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). 211 San Diego launched the first CIE and now operates SD Health Connect, supporting DxF.
The session’s moderator noted the importance of contracting with providers and collaboration with counties and the state. Addressing the challenge of sharing information across California’s vast and diverse population, panelists explained that DxF is onboarding a wide range of organizations, from physical to behavioral health. The state is prioritizing connectedness and efficient data movement to serve not only providers but also community support, public health, and patients, using incentive dollars and milestones to drive DxF adoption. A key benefit for providers is access to comprehensive patient hospitalization information, enabling better care coordination upon discharge.
Panelists discussed actions beyond typical budgetary constraints that would be impactful, such as ensuring all delivery services, including homeless outreach, have robust electronic health records. They also stressed the need for HIEs to filter essential information directly into provider workflows, reducing the time spent navigating charts and making data more actionable.
The need for standardized key elements, like a record locator service, is important for avoiding duplication and variation across California’s 58 counties, especially in behavioral health. Lessons for other states include elevating social care data, adopting universal consent (especially among social care providers), and using Medicaid programs to expand health and social services. Panelists emphasized the critical importance of setting clear expectations and definitions for what HIE means for users, from prior authorizations to immunization records.
From a sustainability and scalability perspective, the DxF aims to set goals that incentivize EMR upgrades and new technology adoption without dictating specific systems. The discussion also touched on contracting with community-based organizations (CBOs) and on addressing the ongoing challenges posed by differing platforms. Finally, in response to concerns about data privacy and the potential for data weaponization, particularly regarding sensitive demographic information, panelists assured attendees that California-specific directives, consent, and privacy are core pillars of DxF, with significant work underway to protect individuals.
