The proposed bill amends Nebraska's statutes concerning the prescription drug monitoring program and the Population Health Information Act. A significant change is the requirement for all prescription drug information to be reported to the monitoring system, with access now contingent on payment of an access fee by "any prescriber or dispenser," replacing the previous provision that allowed "all prescribers or dispensers" to access it for free. The bill also introduces a provision allowing the operator of the monitoring system to charge access fees and imposes fees on pharmacy benefit managers for their operational use of the system. Additionally, it establishes a fund for the Population Health Information Assessment and mandates the sharing of vital statistics data, while ensuring confidentiality and security measures for patient information.

Furthermore, the bill updates the Population Health Information Act by adding new definitions, such as "nonfederal costs," which pertain to operational costs not covered by federal reimbursement. It emphasizes the need for sustainability assessments for health information exchange and the prescription drug monitoring program, requiring participation from health care facilities and insurance plans in sharing clinical information. The bill also establishes a new Population Health Information Assessment Fund to cover nonfederal costs and outlines a quarterly assessment process managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for reporting compliance status of managed care organizations. The act is designed to take effect immediately upon passage, highlighting the urgency of these health information initiatives.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 71-2454