CHAPTER He-W 900  OTHER PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 

PART He-W 910  EXPANDED HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN LOW-INCOME CHILDREN

 

He-W 910.01  Purpose.  To describe eligibility requirements and services provided through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; amd by #7666, eff 4-1-02; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

He-W 910.02  Definitions.

 

(a)  “Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)” means public law 99-272, enacted in 1986, that allows the continuation of group health coverage that otherwise would be terminated.

 

(b)  “Co-payment” means an amount paid by a recipient to a NH healthy kids-silver program provider.

 

(c)  “Cost-sharing” means co-payments and premiums as described in He-W 910.05 and 910.06.

 

(d)  “Formulary” means a list of Federal Food and Drug Administration-approved brand name and generic medications that has been developed by the insurance provider contracted by Healthy Kids Corporation.

 

(e)  “Healthy Kids Corporation, Inc. (Healthy Kids Corp.)” means a non-profit corporation established pursuant to RSA 126:H and doing business in the state of New Hampshire

 

(f)  “Healthy kids-silver” means a medical assistance benefits package for children over the age of one and under the age of 19 whose family income is greater than 185%, but less than or equal to 300%, of the federal Poverty Income Guidelines as published annually in the Federal Register by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

(g)  “Premium” means a fixed monthly amount determined by the department of health and human services (DHHS) and paid by a recipient when required as a condition of eligibility.

 

(h)  “Provider” means an entity or individual who furnishes health care services or supplies to Healthy Kids Silver recipients under an agreement with Healthy Kids Corp., and is licensed or certified pursuant to applicable state law to provide such services and supplies

 

(i)  “Recipient” means an individual who is eligible for and receiving medical assistance under the program entitled Healthy Kids-Silver.

 

(j)  “Services” means medical care or a medical product for which payment is made by the Healthy Kids-Silver program.

 

(k)  “Subscriber parent” means the person in whose name the insurance policy has been issued and under which the dependent child receives health coverage.

 

(l)  “Title XXI Program” means the joint federal-state program described in Title XXI of the Social Security Act and administered in New Hampshire by (DHHS) in cooperation with Healthy Kids Corp. under the program entitled healthy kids-silver.

 

(m)  “Utilization review and control” means the monitoring of NH Title XXI program services pursuant to 42 CFR 456.

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

He-W 910.03  Program Administration.  The department of health and human services shall:

 

(a)  Develop and administer the federal State Plan for the operation of the Title XXI program, pursuant to applicable federal statutes and regulations and in accordance with RSA 161:2 and RSA 167;

 

(b)  Provide basic, comprehensive medical assistance under Healthy Kids-Silver to all recipients eligible pursuant to He-W 641.07 to the extent required by Section 2103 the Social Security Act as enacted by P.L. 105-33 and amended by P.L. 105-100; and

 

(c)  Enter into a cooperative contractual partnership with Healthy Kids Corp. under which a comprehensive health benefits insurance plan will be made available by Healthy Kids Corp. to all eligible Healthy Kids-Silver recipients to meet the requirements of He-W 910.02(b).

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #7804, eff 1-1-03; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

He-W 910.04  Eligibility.

 

(a)  For purposes of determining income eligibility for medical coverage for healthy kids-silver applicants, changes in the poverty level guidelines shall apply the first day of the second month following the annual publication of the poverty income guidelines in the Federal Register.

 

(b)  Resources shall not be counted when determining eligibility for healthy kids-silver.

 

(c)  Applicants for healthy kids-silver medical coverage shall not be eligible if they currently have other health insurance coverage;

 

(d)  Applicants for healthy kids-silver medical coverage shall not be eligible if they were covered under another health insurance program within the 6 consecutive months prior to the date of application unless:

 

(1)  Their health insurance was terminated due to involuntary loss of employment by the subscriber parent;

 

(2)  Their health insurance was terminated due to voluntary loss of employment by the subscriber parent, and the loss occurred for one of the following good cause reasons:

 

a.  Discrimination by an employer based on age, race, sex, color, physical or mental disability, religious belief, national origin, or political beliefs;

 

b.  Work demands or conditions that render continued employment unreasonable, including but not limited to, employment in which the degree of risk to health or safety is unreasonable or employment yielding weekly earnings of less than the state or federal hourly minimum wage;

 

c.  Resignation by a subscriber parent that is recognized by the employer as retirement;

 

d.  Employment which becomes or is revealed to be unsuitable following acceptance of such employment, including, but not limited to, employment which the parent is physically or mentally unfit to perform, or employment in which the distance from the parent's home to the place of employment is more than a 2 hour round trip;

 

e.  Acceptance by the subscriber parent of enrollment of at least half-time in any:

 

1.  Employment training program;

 

2.  School approved by the State Board of Education as carried out under the rulemaking authority of RSA 21-N:9 and defined in RSA 189:24-25 and RSA 194:23; or

 

3.  Institution of higher education accredited by a secondary, post-secondary or vocational training and education commission;

 

f.  Leaving a job in order to accept a bona-fide job offer, which, because of subsequent circumstances beyond the control of the applicant, is withdrawn or results in employment that does not allow the employee to enroll the employee's dependent children under the employer's health plan;

 

g.  Leaving a job because of circumstances beyond the control of the parent which render continued employment impracticable, including but not limited to:

 

1.  Lack of transportation or child care;

 

2.  Illness, incapacity or disability of the parent; or

 

3.  Illness, incapacity or disability of another household member serious enough to require the presence in the home of the parent and net loss of cash income;

 

(3)  Changing employment to an employer who does not offer the employee's dependent children to become enrolled under the employer’s health plan;

 

(4)  Death of the subscriber parent;

 

(5)  Discontinuation of coverage to all employees by the employer;

 

(6)  Discontinuation of COBRA benefits after 18 months for job termination;

 

(7)  Discontinuation of COBRA benefits 24 months after the death of the subscriber parent;

 

(8)  The subscriber parent met other good cause reasons prior to accepting COBRA coverage;

 

(9)  The insurer closes its operation in New Hampshire;

 

(10)  An involuntary reduction in work hours that no longer allows the employee's dependent children to be enrolled under the employer's health plan;

 

(11)  The subscriber parent experiences loss of coverage or an inability to use current coverage due to family/domestic violence pursuant to Section 408(a)(7)(c)(iii) of the Social Security Act as amended;

 

(12)  A temporary insurance policy has ended and:

 

a.  The dependent children were not enrolled in a group or non-group health plan during the previous 6 months; or

 

b.  The subscriber parent would not have met good cause reasons prior to accepting temporary coverage; or

 

(13)  The subscriber parent leaves employment to become the primary caregiver of their dependent children who are 5 years of age or under.

 

(14)  The health insurance was terminate by a non-custodial parent subscriber where the loss of insurance was beyond the control of the custodial parent.

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #7804, eff 1-1-03; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

He-W 910.05  Cost Sharing.

 

(a)  Premium cost sharing for the healthy kids-silver program shall be calculated pursuant to Section 2103(e)(3)(B) of the Social Security Act.

 

(b)  Healthy Kids Corp. shall:

 

(1)  Educate families of recipients about cost sharing requirements and limits;

 

(2)  Monitor premium cost sharing via its own accounting system;

 

(3)  Monitor medical and dental co-payments on a quarterly basis via a cost sharing report generated by the health and dental providers;

 

(4)  Notify in writing families who meet or exceed the 5% limit to cease cost sharing for the remainder of the 12 month eligibility period;

 

(5)  Notify insurers in writing of those families who meet or exceed the 5% limit to cease cost sharing for the remainder of the 12 month eligibility period; and

 

(6)  In the case of overpayment on the part of a family, either provide credit against future premiums or reimburse the family the amount in excess of the 5% limit.

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

          He-W 910.06  Premiums.

 

          (a)  A fixed monthly premium shall be paid by healthy kids-silver enrollees to the Healthy Kids Corp. as follows:

 

(1)  When the family income is greater than 185% and equal to or less than 250% of the federal poverty level, as determined in He-W 910.03, the premium shall be $32.00 per child per month with a maximum monthly premium payment not to exceed $128.00 per family per month;

 

(2)  When the family income is greater than 250% and equal to or less than 300% of the federal poverty level, as determined in He-W 910.03, the premium shall be $54.00 per child per month with a maximum monthly premium payment not to exceed $162.00 per family per month;

 

(3)  Payment of the premium shall be due by the last day of the month prior to the beginning of the coverage month; and

 

(4)  Healthy Kids Corp. shall collect, process, and monitor the payment of premiums.

 

          (b)  Non-payment of a premium for 60 consecutive days, without good cause as described in (e) below, shall result in the following:

 

(1)  Recipient eligibility for healthy kids-silver shall be terminated on the last day of the month in which the 60-day period ends;

 

(2)  The payment due date shall be counted as day one of the 60-day period; and

 

(3)  Reapplication for healthy kids-silver shall not be allowed for a period of 3 consecutive months beginning with the first day eligibility was terminated.

 

          (c)  Non-payment of a premium without good cause shall not apply to pregnant recipients until the 61st postpartum day.

 

          (d)  Healthy Kids Corp. shall notify DHHS when a recipient’s premium has not been paid for 60 consecutive days, except when good cause exists in accordance with (e) below.

 

          (e)  Good cause for non-payment of premiums shall exist when Healthy Kids Corp. determines that one of the following criteria are met:

 

(1)  The recipient’s family experienced a temporary or unexpected loss of income which prevents the family from paying the premium; or

 

(2)  The recipient’s family incurred an unexpected expense that prevents the family from paying the premium.

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05; ss by #8467, eff 10-29-05; ss by #9513, INTERIM, eff 7-18-09, EXPIRES: 1-14-10; ss by #9617, eff 1-15-10

 

He-W 910.07  Co-Payments.

 

(a)  Recipients shall make co-payments as follows:

 

(1)  A co-payment in the amount of $5.00 shall be required for:

 

a.  Physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy;

 

b.  Early intervention services;

 

c.  Hearing aids;

 

d.  Routine vision and hearing exams; and

 

e.  Eyewear;

 

(2)  A co-payment in the amount of $10.00 shall be required for:

 

a.  Each covered provider office visit that does not include a preventive health service;

 

b.  Mental health outpatient or office visits;

 

c.  Substance abuse outpatient or office visits; and

 

d.  Chiropractic office visits. and

 

(3)  A co-payment in the amount of $50.00 shall be required for each non-emergent or unauthorized outpatient emergency room visit.

 

(b)  Co-payments shall not be required for:

 

(1)  Preventive health services;

 

(2)  Well baby provider office visits; and

 

(3)  Dental check-ups, cleanings, x-rays and fluoride treatments.

 

(c)  Recipients shall make co-payments for prescriptions as follows:

 

(1)  A co-payment of $5.00 for each covered formulary generic prescription drug dispensed;

 

(2)  A co-payment of $15.00 for each covered formulary brand name prescription drug dispensed when no generic equivalent is available;

 

(3) A co-payment of $25.00 for each covered non-formulary brand name prescription drug dispensed when no generic equivalent is available;

 

(4)  A co-payment of $15.00 for each covered formulary brand name prescription drug dispensed when the prescribing provider indicates that the brand name drug is medically necessary when a generic equivalent is available;

 

(5)  A co-payment of $25.00 for each for each covered non-formulary brand name prescription drug dispensed when the prescribing provider documents that the brand name drug is medically necessary when a generic equivalent is available; and

 

(6)  A co-payment of $15.00 plus the difference in cost between the generic drug and the covered brand name drug if the recipient’s family opts for the brand name drug when a generic equivalent is available.

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05; ss by #8467, eff 10-29-05

 

He-W 910.08  Covered Services.

 

(a)  Medical care and supplies shall be covered under Healthy Kids Silver pursuant to Section 2103(a) of the Social Security Act.

 

(b)  Covered services shall include the following:

 

(1)  Inpatient hospital services;

 

(2)  Outpatient hospital services, including emergency services;

 

(3)  Physician services, including primary care services provided by advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants;

 

(4)  Surgical services;

 

(5)  Clinic services, including health center services and other ambulatory health care services;

 

(6)  Care coordination provided as part of the role of the primary care provider;

 

(7)  Prescription drugs as provided in He-P 910.07(c), including all FDA approved prescriptive oral contraceptive medications;

 

(8)  Laboratory and radiological services;

 

(9)  Prenatal care and pre-pregnancy family planning services and supplies;

 

(10)  Inpatient mental health services, up to a maximum of 15 days per calendar year, including services furnished in a state-operated mental hospital, and including residential or other 24-hour therapeutically planned structural services;

 

(11)  Outpatient mental health services, up to a maximum of 20 visits per calendar year, including services furnished in a state-operated mental hospital and community-based mental health services;

 

(12)  Durable medical equipment and other medically-related or remedial devices, including eyeglasses and hearing aids;

 

(13)  Disposable medical supplies;

 

(14)  Home health visits, up to a maximum of 20 visits per calendar year;

 

(15)  Dental services, including, but not limited to, diagnostic and preventive services, and sealants and fillings, which shall be covered at 100% up to a maximum benefit of $600.00 per calendar year;

 

(16)  Physical therapy and occupational therapy, up to a maximum of 24 visits per calendar year for physical therapy or for occupational therapy, or for a combination of physical and occupational therapy;

 

(17)  Speech therapy, up to a maximum of 24 visits per calendar year;

 

(18)  Hospice care;

 

(19)  Chiropractic services;

 

(20)  Emergency transportation by ambulance;

 

(21)  Skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility services;

 

(22)  Inpatient substance abuse treatment services;

 

(23)  Outpatient substance abuse treatment services;

 

(24)  Preventive health services;

 

(25)  Vision services;

 

(26)  Hearing services; and

 

(27)  Any other service pursuant to Section 2103 of the Social Security Act.

 

Source.  #6925, eff 1-1-99; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

He-W 910.09  Recovery of Medical Assistance Provided.

 

(a)  Acceptance of medical assistance under Title XXI shall constitute assignment to DHHS of rights to recovery from any third party in accordance with RSA 167:14-a.

 

(b)  In all cases involving distribution of recovery from a third party settlement, DHHS shall be considered a creditor.

 

(c)  Recovery of medical assistance from liable third parties shall be made in accordance with 42 CFR 433.139.

 

Source.  #7666, eff 4-1-02; ss by #8227, eff 1-1-05

 

He-W 910.10  Utilization Review and Control.

 

(a)  DHHS shall monitor utilization review and control in accordance with He-W 520.06.

 

(b)  Healthy Kids Corp. shall be responsible for utilization review activities by:

 

(1) Performing the utilization reviews directly, or contracting with qualified professional organizations for the performance of reviews; and

 

(2)  Monitoring the results of reviews to ensure appropriate corrective action has been taken.

 

Source.  #8227, eff 1-1-05


 

PART He-W 950  COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE INFORMATION SYSTEM PROCEDURES FOR THE RELEASE OF CLAIMS DATA SETS FOR PUBLIC AND RESEARCH PURPOSES

 

He-W 950.01  Purpose.  This chapter specifies the provisions for release of health care claims data sets from the department of health and human services to researchers and the public.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.02  Scope.  This chapter shall apply only to data collected under RSA 420-G:11, II.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.03  Definitions.

 

(a)  “Carrier” means an insurance company represented in the data set collected under RSA 420-G:11, II that is the recipient of the claims.

 

(b)  “Cell size” means the count of patients that share a set of characteristics contained in a statistical table.

 

(c)  “Charge” means the actual dollar amount charged on the claim.

 

(d)  “Clinical data” means the health care claims, hospital and non-hospital health care facility data, and all other data collected pursuant to the rules adopted relative to RSA 420-G:11, II.

 

(e)  “Commissioner” means the commissioner of the New Hampshire department of health and human services or his or her designee.

 

(f)  “Comprehensive health care information system” means a health care data repository developed to meet the intent of RSA 420-G:11-a and the components of the memorandum of understanding between the New Hampshire department of health and human services and the New Hampshire insurance department (NHID) required under RSA 420-G:11-a that relate to claims data collected under RSA 420-G:11, II.

 

(g)  “Confidential data” means individual or collective data elements contained in the claims data set that:

 

(1)  Have not been revealed previously to the general public; and

 

(2)   Directly identify a patient.

 

(h)  “Confidential research data set” means a data set available for research, subject to the provisions in He-W 950.07 below, which might:

 

(1)  Be used in conjunction with patient supplied identifiers, subject to the informed consent of the patients identified; or

 

(2)  Contain insured group policy identifiers, subject to the informed consent of the insurer groups identified.

 

(i)  “Data set” means the collection of individual data records, whether in electronic or manual files.

 

(j)  “Department” means the New Hampshire department of health and human services.

 

(k)  “Direct patient identifiers” means:

 

(1)  Names;

 

(2)  Business names when that name would serve to identify a patient;

 

(3)  Postal address information other than town or city, state, and 5-digit zip code;

 

(4)  Specific latitude and longitude or other geographic information that would be used to derive postal address;

 

(5)  Telephone and fax numbers that identify a patient;

 

(6)  Electronic mail addresses that identify a patient;

 

(7)  Social security numbers that identify a patient;

 

(8)  Medical record numbers;

 

(9)  Health plan beneficiary numbers;

 

(10)  Certificate and license numbers that identify a patient;

 

(11)  Internet protocol (IP) addresses and uniform resource locators (URL) that identify a business that would serve to identify a patient;

 

(12)  Biometric identifiers, including finger and voice prints; and

 

(13)  Personal photographic images.

 

(l)   “Disclosure” means to communicate clinical data to a person not already in possession of that information.

 

(m)  “Encrypted identifier” means a code or other means of record identification to allow patients to be tracked across the data set without revealing their identity.  Encrypted identifiers are not direct identifiers.

 

(n)  “Health care claims data” means information consisting of or derived directly from member eligibility, medical claims, pharmacy claims, or dental claims files submitted by health care claims processors collected under RSA 420-G:11, II.  Health care claims data does not include analysis, reports, or studies containing information from health care claims data sets, if those analyses, reports or studies have already been released in response to another request for information or as part of a general distribution of public information by the department.

 

(o)  “Health care facility” means a public or private, proprietary or not-for-profit entity or institution providing health services licensed under RSA 151:2 and facilities operating as community health clinics.

 

(p)  “Health care practitioner” means physicians and all persons licensed or registered as a health care provider in the state of New Hampshire including, but not limited to:

 

(1)  Nurses;

 

(2)  Podiatrists;

 

(3)  Optometrists;

 

(4)  Pharmacists;

 

(5)  Chiropractors;

 

(6)  Physical therapists;

 

(7)  Dentists;

 

(8)  Psychologists;

 

(9)  Licensed clinical social workers;

 

(10)  Marriage and family therapists;

 

(11)  Professional counselors; and

 

(12)  Physicians’ assistants.

 

(q)  “Indirect patient identifier” means:

 

(1)  All geographic subdivisions of New Hampshire or any state or province, including census tracts, blocks, and block groups, cities, towns, zip codes, and their equivalent geocodes, except county;

 

(2)  Race;

 

(3)  All elements of dates, except year, for dates related to a patient, including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of death, and all ages over 89 and all elements of dates, including year, indicative of such age, except that such elements may be aggregated into a single category of age 90 and older; and

 

(4)  Group policy numbers.

 

(r)  “Limited use research data set” means a data set available for research, subject to provisions in He-W 950.06 below, from which all direct patient identifiers have been encrypted in such a way as to not allow direct identification, and the following additional modifications have been made:

 

(1)  Any data that directly identifies or would lead to the indirect identification of health care practitioners performing abortions are deemed confidential and shall not be released in the limited use data set; and

 

(2)  Insured group or policy numbers are encrypted.

 

(s)  “Patient” means any person in the data set that is the subject of the activities of the claim performed by the health care provider.

 

(t)  “Payment” means the actual dollar amount paid for a claim by a carrier.

 

(u)  “Principal investigator” means the person in charge of a project that makes use of limited use research or research health care claims data sets.  The principal investigator is the custodian of the data and is responsible for the observance of all conditions of use and for establishment and maintenance of security arrangements to prevent unauthorized use.

 

(v)  “Provided by law” means use and disclosure as permitted or required by New Hampshire state law governing programs or activities undertaken by the state or its agencies, or required by federal law.

 

(w)  “Public use data set” means a data set which contains no confidential data, and from which all known direct or indirect identifiers about individual health care practitioners and employers or purchaser groups which have been removed and contains the data elements specified in He-W 950.04 below.

 

(x)  “Release” means to make all or part of the claims data set available for inspection and analysis to persons other than the department and the NHID.

 

(y)  “Statistical table” means single or multivariate counts based on the information contained in a data set and which does not include any direct identifiers.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.04  Public Use Data Sets.

 

(a)  Public use data sets shall consist of the following data sets:

 

(1)  Medical claims data sets; and

 

(2)  Pharmacy claims data sets.

 

(b)  Medical claims data sets shall contain the following elements:

 

(1)  Service event primary key;

 

(2)  Insurance product type;

 

(3)  Line counter;

 

(4)  Member gender;

 

(5)  Member age if under 90, if 90 or over member age is aggregated into a single category of age 90 or older;

 

(6)  Member county;

 

(7)  Admission year;

 

(8)  Admission hour;

 

(9)  Admission type;

 

(10)  Admission source;

 

(11)  Length of stay;

 

(12)  Discharge year;

 

(13)  Discharge hour;

 

(14)  Discharge member status;

 

(15)  Whether service provider entity type is person or group practice or non-person or group practice;

 

(16)  Service provider organization name;

 

(17)  Service provider county;

 

(18)  Type of bill;

 

(19)  Health care facility type;

 

(20)  Claim status;

 

(21)  Admitting diagnosis;

 

(22)  External cause of injury or poisoning code (E-code);

 

(23)  Principal diagnosis;

 

(24)  Other diagnoses;

 

(25)  Revenue code;

 

(26)  Procedure codes;

 

(27)  Length of service in days;

 

(28)  Quantity;

 

(29)  Charge amount;

 

(30)  Paid amount;

 

(31)  Fee for service prepaid equivalent amount for capitated services;

 

(32)  Co-pay amount;

 

(33)  Co-insurance amount;

 

(34)  Deductible amount; and

 

(35)  Record type.

 

(c)  Pharmacy claims data set shall contain the following elements:

 

(1)  Service event primary key;

 

(2)  Insurance product type;

 

(3)  Line counter;

 

(4)  Member gender;

 

(5)  Member age if under 90, if 90 or over member age is aggregated into a single category of age 90 or older;

 

(6)  Member county;

 

(7)  Pharmacy county;

 

(8)  Claim status;

 

(9)  Drug code;

 

(10)  Drug name;

 

(11)  New prescription;

 

(12)  Generic drug indicator;

 

(13)  Dispense as written code;

 

(14)  Compound drug indicator;

 

(15)  Year prescription filled;

 

(16)  Quantity dispensed;

 

(17)  Days supply;

 

(18)  Charge amount;

 

(19)  Paid amount;

 

(20)  Ingredient cost or list price;

 

(21)  Dispensing fee;

 

(22)  Co-pay amount;

 

(23)  Co-insurance amount;

 

(24)  Deductible amount; and

 

(25)  Record type.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.05  Release of Public Use Data Sets.

 

(a)  Except as otherwise provided by law, upon request the department shall release public use data sets.

 

(b)  The department shall maintain records of releases of public use data sets and make them available for public inspection.  Any interested party that so elects shall be automatically notified of any new data requests by electronic mail including all specifics of such requests.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.06  Release of Limited Use Health Care Claims Research Data Sets.

 

(a)  Except as otherwise provided by law, the department shall, upon consideration of the advice of the claims data release advisory committee, release limited use health care claims research data sets to requestors for the purposes of research under the following conditions:

 

(1)  When the requestor submits a written application developed by the department that contains:

 

a.  The principal investigator’s:

 

1.  Name, address, and phone number;

 

2.  Organizational affiliation;

 

3.  Professional qualification; and

 

4.  Name and phone number of principal investigator's contact person, if any;

 

b.  The names and qualifications of additional research staff, if any, who will have access to the data;

 

c.  A research protocol which contains:

 

1.  A summary of background, purposes, and origin of the research;

 

2.  A statement of the health-related problem or issue to be addressed by the research;

 

3.  The research design and methodology, including either the topics of exploratory research or the specific research hypotheses to be tested;

 

4.  The procedures that will be followed to maintain the confidentiality of any data or copies of records provided to the principal investigator; and

 

5.  The intended research completion date; and

 

d.  Information about the data set being requested including:

 

1.  The time period of the data requested;

 

2.  The minimum needed specific data items or fields of information required;

 

3.  A justification for the need for potentially indirect patient identifiers;

 

4.  The minimum needed specificity of those data items, including how the data should be recoded by the department to be less specific;

 

5.  The selection criteria for the minimum needed data records required; and

 

6.  Any special format or layout of data requested by the principal investigator.

 

(2)  When the requestor and the principal investigator submit a signed data use agreement that specifies that the requestor and the principal investigator shall:

 

a.  Use the data for only the purpose specified in the application;

 

b.  Establish appropriate safeguards to protect the confidentiality of the data and prevent unauthorized use of the data;

 

c.  Not use or further disclose or sell the data set or statistical tabulations derived from the data set to any person or organization other than as described in the application and as permitted by the data use agreement without the written consent of the department;

 

d.  Not use or further disclose the information as otherwise required by law;

 

e.  Not seek to ascertain or disclose the identity of patients, employer groups or purchaser groups revealed in the limited use data set;

 

f.  Not seek to ascertain or disclose any of the information removed from the data or encrypted as specified in He-W 950.03(q) above that specifies the exclusions from the limited use data set;

 

g.  Not publish or make public the content of cells that contain counts of patients in statistical tables in which the cell size is more than 0 and less than 5;

 

h.  Not publish or make public any information that could be used to ascertain the identity of providers of abortion services;

 

i.  Report to the department any use or disclosure of the information, of which the principal investigator becomes aware, that is contrary to the agreement;

 

j.  Provide the department with a preview copy of a proposed release at least 15 days prior to any publication or release of any reports or publications containing information derived from the data set so that the department can review the release and verify that the conditions of the agreement have been applied;

 

k.  Not release any document deemed by the department which breach the conditions of the agreement;

 

l.  Acknowledge the department and the NHID as the source of the data in any and all public reports, publications, or presentations generated by the requestor from these data;

 

m.  Specify that the analyses, conclusions and recommendations drawn from such data are solely those of the requestor and are not necessarily those of any agency of the State of New Hampshire;

 

n.  Retain the data only for the period of time necessary to fulfill the requirements of the data request;

 

o.  Return the data within 30 days of the scheduled completion date of the project or shall destroy the data, so certifying by submitting a written notice to the department or reapply for approval within 60 days of scheduled completion if the requestor determines the end date of the project needs to be extended; and 

 

p.  Acknowledge that failure to adhere to the data use agreement will be cause for immediate recall by the department of the data, revocation of permission to use the data, and application of any relevant criminal liability under New Hampshire state law.

 

(b)  The department shall establish a claims data release advisory committee to provide non-binding advice and opinion on the merit of applications for limited use data sets.  The committee, selected by the commissioner, shall consist of the following members:

 

(1)  One member representing carriers;

 

(2)  One member representing facilities;

 

(3)  One member representing health care practitioners;

 

(4)  One member representing the general public;

 

(5)  One member representing purchasers of health insurance;

 

(6)  One member representing health care researchers; and

 

(7)  Two members of the department.

 

(c)  The commissioner shall sign the data use agreement and release limited data sets when:

 

(1)   The application submitted is complete pursuant to (a)(1) and the requestor and principal investigator have signed the data use agreement as specified in (a)(2) above;

 

(2)  Procedures to ensure the confidentiality of any patient and any confidential data are documented;

 

(3)  The qualifications of the investigator and research staff are documented by:

 

a.  Training and previous research, including prior publications; and

 

b.  An affiliation with a university, private research organization, medical center, state agency, or other institution that will provide sufficient research resources;

 

(4)  The claims data release advisory committee has been given 45 days after receipt of the application to comment on the merits of the application to the department; and

 

(5)  No other state or federal law, or federal regulation prohibits release of the requested information.

 

(d)  If the commissioner declines to release the limited use data sets, within 60 days of receipt of the application, the department shall provide a written statement identifying the specific criteria that are the basis for denial of the application.

 

(e)  Studies taking longer than 2 years shall require annual renewal.

 

(f)  The requestor shall comply with the conditions in the data use agreement as described in (a)(2) above.

 

(g)  In the event the department determines that any report or publication referenced in (a)(2)j. above might lead to direct or indirect identification of patients, employers or other group purchasers, the department shall provide a written statement to the researcher stating specifically the problematic sections in the publication.  The requesting party shall modify the report or publication prior to its release by fully addressing the problematic sections.  No cause other than direct or indirect identification of patients, employers or other group purchasers shall be given to prevent publication of information derived from the data.

 

(h)  When multiple reports of a similar nature will be created from the data, upon request the department shall waive the requirement that any subsequent reports or publications be provided to the department prior to release by the requesting party.

 

(i)  Any draft reports or publications supplied to the department shall be treated as confidential and shall not be released by the department.

 

(j)  The commissioner shall:

 

(1)  Maintain records of applications for, and releases of, limited use data sets and make them available for public inspection;

 

(2)  Maintain a system for tracking the dates by which data sets must be returned or destroyed; and

 

(3)  Maintain records of the review of publications, if applicable.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.07  Release of Confidential Health Care Claims Research Data Sets.

 

(a)  Except as otherwise provided by law, the department shall release, upon the approval of the privacy review committee, confidential health care claims research data sets to requestors for the purposes of research under the following conditions:

 

(1)  When the requestor submits a completed written application developed by the department that contains the following:

 

a.  The principal investigator’s:

 

1.  Name, address, and phone number;

 

2.  Organizational affiliation;

 

3.  Professional qualification; and

 

4.  Name and phone number of principal investigator's contact person, if any;

 

b.  The names and qualifications of additional research staff, if any, who will have access to the data;

 

c.  A research protocol which contains:

 

1.  A summary of background, purposes, and origin of the research;

 

2.  A statement of the health-related problem or issue to be addressed by the research;

 

3.  The research hypothesis or hypotheses to be tested or the specific statistical quantities or dependencies to be measured;

 

4.  The research design and methodology which shall include:

 

(i)  A clear definition of exactly how the records needed for the research will be selected and how the patients and or employer groups who are the subject of the research are defined;

 

(ii)  Method of data analysis;

 

(iii)  The way in which the requested data will be used;

 

(iv)  The procedures for contacting any persons or facilities named in records, if applicable; and

 

(v)  The procedures to obtain informed consent from the patients, employer groups or other group purchasers, if applicable.

 

5.  The procedures that will be followed to maintain the confidentiality of any data or copies of records provided to the principal investigator; and

 

6.  The intended research completion date.

 

d.  Information about the data set being requested including:

 

1.  The time period of the data requested;

 

2.  The minimum needed specific data items or fields of information required;

 

3.  The minimum needed specificity of those data items;

 

4.  The selection criteria for the minimum needed data records required; and

 

5.  Any special format or layout of data requested by the principal investigator.

 

e.  When the data set requested will be used in conjunction with confidential patient data, the application shall include written evidence of prior consent for its disclosure from the patients who are the subject of the information; and

 

f.  When the data set requested identifies employer or group purchasers the application shall include written evidence of prior consent for its disclosure from the employer or group purchasers that are the subject of the information; and

 

(2)  When the requestor and principal investigator submit a signed data use agreement that specifies that the requestor and the principal investigator shall:

 

a.  Use the data for only the purpose specified in the application;

 

b.  Establish appropriate safeguards to protect the confidentiality of the data and prevent unauthorized use of the data;

 

c.  Not use or further disclose or sell the data set or statistical tabulations derived from the data set to any person or organization other than as described in the application and as permitted by the data use agreement without the written consent of the department;

 

d.  Not use or further disclose the information as otherwise required by law;

 

e.  Not seek to ascertain or disclose the identity of patients or employers or other group purchasers revealed in the data set for any purpose except as approved as part of the study;

 

f.  Not publish or make public the content of cells that contain counts of patients in statistical tables in which the cell size is more than 0 and less than 5;

 

g.  Not publish or make public any information that could be used to ascertain the identity of providers of abortion services;

 

h.  Report to the department any use or disclosure of the information, of which the principal investigator becomes aware, that is contrary to the agreement;

 

i.  Provide the department with a preview copy of a proposed release at least 15 days prior to publication or release of any reports or publications containing information derived from the data set so that the department can review the release and verify that the agreed upon conditions have been applied;

 

j.  Not release any document which is deemed by the department to breach the conditions of the agreement;

 

k.  Acknowledge the department and the NHID as the source of the data in any and all public reports, publications, or presentations generated by the requestor from these data;

 

l.  Specify that the analyses, conclusions and recommendations drawn from such data are solely those of the requestor and are not necessarily those of any agency of the State of New Hampshire;

 

m.  Retain the data only for the period of time necessary to fulfill the requirements of the data request;

 

n.  Return the data within 30 days of the scheduled completion date of the project or shall destroy the data, so certifying by submitting a written notice to the department or reapply for approval within 60 days of scheduled completion if the requestor determines the end date of the project needs to be extended; and

 

o.  Acknowledge that failure to adhere to the data use agreement will be cause for immediate recall by the department of the data, revocation of permission to use the data, and application of any relevant criminal liability under New Hampshire state law.

 

(b)  The commissioner shall sign the data use agreement and release research data sets when:

 

(1)  The application submitted is complete pursuant to (a)(1) above and the requestor and principal investigator have signed the data use agreement as specified in (a)(2) above;

 

(2)  Procedures to ensure the confidentiality of patients, employer groups, or other group purchasers are documented;

 

(3)  The study, if carried out according to the application submitted, will be able to answer the research hypothesis as stated in the application;

 

(4)  There is no evidence that the applicant is seeking the requested data for other purposes in addition to research purposes;

 

(5)  The applicant is seeking only the data necessary to fulfill the specific requirements of the research study;

 

(6)  The qualifications of the principal investigator and research staff are documented by:

 

a.  Training and previous research, including prior publications in the proposed or related area; and

 

b.  An affiliation with a university, private research organization, medical center, state agency, or other institution that will provide sufficient research resources;

 

(7)  No other state or federal law or federal regulation prohibits release of the requested information; and

 

(8)  Approval has been obtained from the researcher’s affiliated Institutional Review Board formed in accordance with 45 CFR 46, if the researcher intends to contact patients in the study.

 

(c)  The department shall establish a privacy review committee:

 

(1)  For the purposes of reviewing research requests for confidential data;

 

(2)  Which has 6 members with varying backgrounds to promote complete and adequate review of health related research activities; and

 

(3) To be appointed as follows:

 

a.  Three members shall be appointed by the commissioner including one who will serve as chair of the committee; and

 

b.  Three members shall be appointed by the commissioner of the NHID.

 

(d)  The privacy review committee shall be able to ascertain the acceptability of proposed research in terms of applicable law, regulations, and standards of professional conduct and practice.

 

(e)  The privacy review committee shall include persons knowledgeable in the following areas:

 

(1)  At least one member whose primary concerns are in the area of health research activities;

 

(2)  At least one member whose primary concerns are in the area of providing health services;

 

(3)  At least one member whose primary concerns are in the area of providing health insurance; and

 

(4)  At least 2 members who are not otherwise affiliated with either the department or the NHID and who are not part of the immediate family of a person who is affiliated with either the department or the NHID.

 

(f)  No member of the privacy review committee shall participate in initial or continuing review of any health-related research project in which the member has a conflicting interest, except to provide information requested by the committee.

 

(g)  The committee shall invite individuals when necessary to assist in the review of issues which require expertise beyond or in addition to that possessed by the members of the committee.  These individuals shall only offer advice and guidance and shall not participate in the decision as to whether or not to approve the release of data for the purposes of health-related research.

 

(h)  The department shall use an existing review committee or institutional review board if its membership conforms, or can be modified as needed to conform to the membership specifications required by (f) through (g) above.

 

(i)  Studies taking longer than 2 years shall require annual renewal.

 

(j)   The requestor shall comply with the conditions in the data use agreement as described in (a)(2) above.

 

(k)  In the event the department determines that any report or publication referenced in (a)(2)i. above, might lead to direct or indirect identification of patients, employers or other group purchasers unless approved as part of the study design, the department shall provide a written statement to the researcher stating specifically the problematic sections in the publication.  The requesting party shall modify the report or publication prior to its release by fully addressing the problematic sections.  No cause other than direct or indirect identification of patients, employers or other group purchasers shall be given to prevent publication of information derived from the data.

 

(l)  When multiple reports of a similar nature will be created from the data, upon request the department shall waive the requirement that any subsequent report or publication be provided to the department prior to release by the requesting party.

 

(m)  Any draft reports or publications reviewed by the department shall be kept confidential and shall not be released by the department.

 

(n)  The commissioner shall:

 

(1)  Maintain records of applications for, and releases of, research data sets and make them available for public inspection;

 

(2)  Maintain a system for tracking the dates by which data sets must be returned or destroyed; and

 

(3)  Maintain records of the preview of publications, if applicable.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.08  Fees.

 

(a)  Nothing in this section shall exempt any requestor from paying fees otherwise established by law for obtaining copies of the data sets.

 

(b)  Such fees shall be based on the costs of providing the copy in the format requested.

 

(c)  The department shall provide the requestor with a written description of the basis for the fee.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.09  Exemption from Rule.

 

(a)  Release of the entire claims data set to the NHID shall be made without restriction except that the NHID shall defer to the department any release of data sets and shall not release data sets to other parties, except as specified in the data collection rules, Ins 4000, and except for the public use data set in whole or part.

 

(b)  The department and the NHID shall release data to their agents for specific projects as needed.

 

(c)  The departments shall ensure that contracts with their agents contain signed agreements to maintain the confidentiality of the data, prevent unauthorized re-release of the data sets, and prevent the agents from using the data for their own benefit or advantage.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 

He-W 950.10  General Limitation.

 

(a)  The Comprehensive Health Care Information System shall not contain direct patient identifiers.

 

(b)  Neither the department nor any employee or agent shall receive, obtain, or otherwise possess direct patient identifiers or supply them to others.

 

Source.  #8600, eff 4-6-06

 


APPENDIX

 

RULE

STATUTE

 

 

He-W 910.01

Title XXI of the Social Security Act and 42 CFR 456; and Section 2110 of the Title XXI Act and 42 CFR 457.10

He-W 910.02

Title XXI of the Social Security Act and 42 CFR 456; and Section 2110 of the Title XXI Act and 42 CFR 457.10

He-W 910.03

RSA 161:2 and RSA 167; and Section 2103 of the Title XXI Act of the Social Security Act

He-W 910.04

Section 2110 of the Title XXI Act and 42 CFR §457.310

He-W 910.05

Section 2103(e) (3) (B) of Title XXI of the Social Security Act

He-W 910.06

RSA 126-A:5, IV, Section 2103(e) of Title XXI of the Social Security Act, and 42 U.S.C. 1397cc

He-W910.07

RSA 126-A:5, IV, 42CFR 457.10, Section 2103(e) of Title XXI of the Social Security Act, and 42 U.S.C. 1397cc

He-W 910.08

Sections 2103 (a) – (c) and 2110 (a) of Title XXI of the Social Security Act

He-W 910.09

RSA 167:14-a and Section 2102 of Title XXI of the Social Security Act

 

 

He-W 910.10

Sections 2102 (a) (4) and (7) of Title XXI of the Social Security Act

He-W 950.01 - 950.06

RSA 420-G:11-a

He-W 950.07

45 CFR 46

He-W 950.08 - 950.10

RSA 420-G:11-a