Senate Bill 1178 proposes changes to the Health Care Interoperability Grant Program administered by the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA). The bill seeks to provide a single grant to a company that licenses interoperability software technology to support acute care for rural hospitals, health care providers, and trauma centers. The grant aims to enhance treatment and care coordination, with a focus on reducing healthcare and transportation costs. The bill appropriates $12,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2025 for this purpose.

The bill extends the grant program permanently and changes the deadline for awarding the grant from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2024. It also prohibits the grant recipient from using third-party vendors to meet program requirements. The interoperability software must be accessible via a mobile, native smartphone application and capable of providing proactive alerts, allowing synchronous and asynchronous communication, and being used on multiple electronic devices. The grant recipient must demonstrate that the software meets all requirements before applying for the grant, and the software license must be renewed annually. The appropriation for the grant is exempt from lapsing.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 41-703.01
Senate Engrossed Version: 41-703.01