2011 Connecticut Code
Title 19a Public Health and Well-Being
Chapter 368dd Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut
Sec. 19a-750. Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut. Definitions. Powers of the authority. Board of directors. Chief executive officer. Grants. Reports.

      Sec. 19a-750. Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut. Definitions. Powers of the authority. Board of directors. Chief executive officer. Grants. Reports. (a) There is hereby created as a body politic and corporate, constituting a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the state created for the performance of an essential public and governmental function, the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut, which is empowered to carry out the purposes of the authority, as defined in subsection (b) of this section, which are hereby determined to be public purposes for which public funds may be expended. The Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut shall not be construed to be a department, institution or agency of the state.

      (b) For purposes of this section and sections 19a-751 to 19a-754, inclusive, "authority" means the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut and "purposes of the authority" means the purposes of the authority expressed in and pursuant to this section, including the promoting, planning and designing, developing, assisting, acquiring, constructing, maintaining and equipping, reconstructing and improving of health care information technology. The powers enumerated in this section shall be interpreted broadly to effectuate the purposes of the authority and shall not be construed as a limitation of powers. The authority shall have the power to:

      (1) Establish an office in the state;

      (2) Employ such assistants, agents and other employees as may be necessary or desirable, which employees shall be exempt from the classified service and shall not be employees, as defined in subsection (b) of section 5-270;

      (3) Establish all necessary or appropriate personnel practices and policies, including those relating to hiring, promotion, compensation, retirement and collective bargaining, which need not be in accordance with chapter 68, and the authority shall not be an employer, as defined in subsection (a) of section 5-270;

      (4) Engage consultants, attorneys and other experts as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of the authority;

      (5) Acquire, lease, purchase, own, manage, hold and dispose of personal property, and lease, convey or deal in or enter into agreements with respect to such property on any terms necessary or incidental to the carrying out of these purposes;

      (6) Procure insurance against loss in connection with its property and other assets in such amounts and from such insurers as it deems desirable;

      (7) Make and enter into any contract or agreement necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and execution of its powers. The contracts entered into by the authority shall not be subject to the approval of any other state department, office or agency. However, copies of all contracts of the authority shall be maintained by the authority as public records, subject to the proprietary rights of any party to the contract;

      (8) To the extent permitted under its contract with other persons, consent to any termination, modification, forgiveness or other change of any term of any contractual right, payment, royalty, contract or agreement of any kind to which the authority is a party;

      (9) Receive and accept, from any source, aid or contributions, including money, property, labor and other things of value;

      (10) Invest any funds not needed for immediate use or disbursement in obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States of America or the state and in obligations that are legal investments for savings banks in this state;

      (11) Account for and audit funds of the authority and funds of any recipients of funds from the authority;

      (12) Sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, adopt a seal and alter the same at pleasure;

      (13) Adopt regular procedures for exercising the power of the authority not in conflict with other provisions of the general statutes; and

      (14) Do all acts and things necessary and convenient to carry out the purposes of the authority.

      (c) (1) The Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut shall be managed by a board of directors. The board shall consist of the following members: The Lieutenant Governor, or his or her designee; the Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services and Consumer Protection, or their designees; the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Information Technology, or his or her designee; three appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a representative of a medical research organization, one of whom shall be an insurer or representative of a health plan and one of whom shall be an attorney with background and experience in the field of privacy, health data security or patient rights; three appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall have background and experience with a private sector health information exchange or health information technology entity, one of whom shall have expertise in public health and one of whom shall be a physician licensed under chapter 370 who works in a practice of not more than ten physicians and who is not employed by a hospital, health network, health plan, health system, academic institution or university; three appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a representative of hospitals, an integrated delivery network or a hospital association, one of whom shall have expertise with federally qualified health centers and one of whom shall be a consumer or consumer advocate; one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be a primary care physician whose practice utilizes electronic health records; one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a consumer or consumer advocate; one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be a pharmacist or a health care provider utilizing electronic health information exchange; and one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a large employer or a representative of a business group. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the Healthcare Advocate, or their designees, shall be ex-officio, nonvoting members of the board. The Commissioner of Public Health, or his or her designee, shall serve as the chairperson of the board.

      (2) All initial appointments to the board shall be made on or before October 1, 2010. The initial term for the board members appointed by the Governor shall be for four years. The initial term for board members appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives and the majority leader of the House of Representatives shall be for three years. The initial term for board members appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives and the minority leader of the Senate shall be for two years. The initial term for the board members appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority leader of the Senate shall be for one year. Terms shall expire on September thirtieth of each year in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority for the balance of the unexpired term. Other than an initial term, a board member shall serve for a term of four years. No board member, including initial board members, may serve for more than two terms. Any member of the board may be removed by the appropriate appointing authority for misfeasance, malfeasance or wilful neglect of duty.

      (3) The chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the board, which shall be held not later than November 1, 2010.

      (4) Any member appointed to the board who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from the board.

      (5) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, it shall not constitute a conflict of interest for a trustee, director, partner, officer, stockholder, proprietor, counsel or employee of any person, firm or corporation to serve as a board member, provided such trustee, director, partner, officer, stockholder, proprietor, counsel or employee shall abstain from deliberation, action or vote by the board in specific respect to such person, firm or corporation. All members shall be deemed public officials and shall adhere to the code of ethics for public officials set forth in chapter 10.

      (6) Board members shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall receive actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

      (d) The board shall select and appoint a chief executive officer who shall be responsible for administering the authority's programs and activities in accordance with policies and objectives established by the board. The chief executive officer shall serve at the pleasure of the board and shall receive such compensation as shall be determined by the board. The chief executive officer (1) may employ such other employees as shall be designated by the board of directors; and (2) shall attend all meetings of the board, keep a record of all proceedings and maintain and be custodian of all books, documents and papers filed with the authority and of the minute book of the authority.

      (e) The board shall direct the authority regarding: (1) Implementation and periodic revisions of the health information technology plan submitted in accordance with the provisions of section 74 of public act 09-232*, including the implementation of an integrated state-wide electronic health information infrastructure for the sharing of electronic health information among health care facilities, health care professionals, public and private payors, state and federal agencies and patients; (2) appropriate protocols for health information exchange; and (3) electronic data standards to facilitate the development of a state-wide integrated electronic health information system, as defined in subsection (a) of section 19a-25d, for use by health care providers and institutions that receive state funding. Such electronic data standards shall: (A) Include provisions relating to security, privacy, data content, structures and format, vocabulary and transmission protocols; (B) limit the use and dissemination of an individual's Social Security number and require the encryption of any Social Security number provided by an individual; (C) require privacy standards no less stringent than the "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information" established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104-191, as amended from time to time, and contained in 45 CFR 160, 164; (D) require that individually identifiable health information be secure and that access to such information be traceable by an electronic audit trail; (E) be compatible with any national data standards in order to allow for interstate interoperability, as defined in subsection (a) of section 19a-25d; (F) permit the collection of health information in a standard electronic format, as defined in subsection (a) of section 19a-25d; and (G) be compatible with the requirements for an electronic health information system, as defined in subsection (a) of section 19a-25d.

      (f) Applications for grants from the authority shall be made on a form prescribed by the board. The board shall review applications and decide whether to award a grant. The board may consider, as a condition for awarding a grant, the potential grantee's financial participation and any other factors it deems relevant.

      (g) The board may consult with such parties, public or private, as it deems desirable in exercising its duties under this section.

      (h) Not later than February 1, 2011, and annually thereafter until February 1, 2016, the chief executive officer of the authority shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the Governor and the General Assembly on (1) any private or federal funds received during the preceding year and, if applicable, how such funds were expended, (2) the amount and recipients of grants awarded, and (3) the current status of health information exchange and health information technology in the state.

      (P.A. 10-117, S. 82.)

      *Note: Section 74 of public act 09-232 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

      History: P.A. 10-117 effective June 8, 2010.