The Oklahoma Health Care Transparency Initiative Act of 2026 aims to improve health information exchange and transparency in the state's healthcare system by establishing the Office of the State Coordinator for Health Information Exchange. This office will oversee the state-designated entity responsible for health information exchange and the new Oklahoma Health Care Transparency Initiative. The Act requires healthcare providers to submit claims data, unique identifiers, and demographic information to the designated entity, with implementation set to begin by July 1, 2026. It also provides exemptions for certain providers based on financial hardship, practice size, or technological capability. The Act emphasizes data confidentiality and security, prohibits the disclosure of direct personal identifiers, and imposes penalties for non-compliance with data submission requirements, with fines up to $1,000 per day.

Additionally, the bill amends the Oklahoma Open Records Act to refine the definition of "record" in relation to public business and public funds, clarifying that it includes documents related to licensure matters but excludes computer software, personal effects, and data submitted for information exchange under the Oklahoma Health Care Transparency Initiative Act. The definition of "public body" is expanded to encompass various entities supported by public funds, while excluding judges, justices, and certain higher education organizations not receiving direct legislative appropriations. The bill also defines terms such as "public office," "public official," and "law enforcement agency" to clarify the roles of these entities. An emergency clause is included, allowing the act to take effect immediately upon passage and approval.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 51-24A.3