Senate Bill 796 aims to enhance the collection and reporting of health care claims information in Wisconsin by mandating participation in the Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO). The bill requires WHIO to actively request health care claims data from insurers and administrators, who must comply with these requests. Insurers and administrators are obligated to submit the required data in a specified format within six months of the bill's effective date. Additionally, WHIO is tasked with ensuring uniform data collection, determining the necessary data elements, and publicly reporting the information in both machine-readable formats and layperson-friendly language. The bill also establishes that WHIO has exclusive rights to use and charge for data compilations and services based on the collected information.

The legislation repeals certain existing requirements related to WHIO's management of patient-identifiable data and imposes new general requirements for data security and privacy compliance. It eliminates the obligation for WHIO to provide matching funds and conduct consumer information campaigns, while allowing the Secretary of Health Services to appoint an advisory committee to assist in creating an all-payer claims database dashboard. The bill also introduces provisions for WHIO to share data for health care operations, research, and public health purposes, provided that specific criteria are met. Overall, the bill seeks to improve transparency and accessibility of health care data in Wisconsin.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 153.05(1)(c), 153.05, 153.05(3)(c), 153.05(5)(c), 153.05(8)(c), 153.455(4), 153.455, 153.50(1)(b)1.(intro.), 153.50, 153.50(1)(b)2