The legal team at Contexture works tirelessly to advance public policy that helps foster greater health information interoperability for the communities we serve. 

Below are highlights from our most recent legislative efforts: 

Arizona

Recent success: 

  • AzHDR: SB 1190 passed in March 2021 resulting in two important changes to the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry statute: 1) to allow healthcare surrogates to access the Registry on behalf of a patient, and 2) to allow Contexture to make advance directives held in the AzHDR available in the HIE.  

Past efforts:

  • HB 2620 (2011) established rules and regulations for the secure and private exchange of health information in Arizona. 
  • HB 2369 (2012) modified and enhanced state statutes dealing with health IT and health information organizations (HIOs) and also allows for the electronic prescribing of controlled substances, was made possible because of the successful collaboration of Health Current and many other healthcare community organizations. 
  • SB 1001 (2018) The Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act, established requirements and prohibitions for prescribing, administering and dispensing schedule II opioids.  
  • HB 2075 (2019) law extended the requirement of electronic prescribing of opioids for ALL Arizona counties.   
  • SB 1352 (2019) passed (statutes 36-3291 and 36-3295) giving healthcare providers the ability to have real-time access to patients’ end-of-life wishes via the State HIE. 

Colorado

Recent Successes:

  • HB22-1278 passed the CO legislature, creating a new Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) in the Department of Human Services (CDHS) charged with creating a coordinated, cohesive, and effective behavioral health system in Colorado. Any state agency that administers a behavioral health program is required to collaborate with the BHA. The BHA will handle most of the behavioral health programs that were previously handled by the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). Contexture was successful in integrating several HIE references into the bill, including requiring that any rules promulgated by the BHA related to information sharing consider HIE connections.