Texas Health Care Information Collection Leadership Shares The Process Of Data Collection And Distribution
Recently, THCIC spoke with TASCS on healthcare reporting, which provides information that helps consumers to have an impact on the cost and quality of care in Texas.
Texas Health Care Information Collection (THCIC) representatives Tarik Brown, Andy Alegria, and Dee Roes, explained the data collection process, compliance policies, and distribution at one of the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society’s (TASCS) virtual town hall events last month.
The speakers made it clear that contact information is one of the biggest issues facing both ASCs and THCIC in data compliance regulated by the state and that email is the best means of communication with the THCIC office ([email protected]).
The point of contact designated during the licensing process automatically becomes THCIC primary contact. Most primary contacts are not the ASC administrator, except in cases of very small centers. It is normally someone in billing or an operations staff member. When the primary contact is first provided, or when primary contacts are changed through the THCIC website, contacts receive an introductory email from THCIC’s Roes, with all information needed to input accurate and timely data. Roes also provides a form to acquire a primary contact, secondary contact, and third contact named the certifier of record. If these contacts leave the ASC, it will often result in late reporting fees or noncompliance, because it becomes impossible to contact the center and obtain information.
The following penalties are issued for not submitting data. The first time, centers are often given the opportunity to submit data within an extended timeframe with a warning, but after that, fees incur, as outlined below.
-
1st Time: Fee of $1,000
-
2nd Time: Fee of $2,000
-
3rd Time: Fee of $4,000
-
4th Time: Fee of $8,000
-
5th Time or More: The violation is passed over to the Attorney General’s Office, and a suit is filed against the center.
There are also fees for late reporting charged by System 13. System 13 is the data warehouse vendor for THCIC. They house the data, generate certification datasets/reporting, and notify THCIC of any data past the deadline. If data is not submitted by the deadline, a $500 fee is charged by System 13 to cover the expense of resources for repeating the reporting process to include any outliers.
The data is ultimately collected and prepared for Public Use Data Files (PUDF) and research files. The data is distributed via open source in a summary report on the THCIC website. PUDFs and research files require an IRB and can be requested on the THCIC website for a fee.
Data is most often requested by ASCs, universities, hospitals, and researchers, as well as for interim charges, and legislatures will request the data for projects like a recent uterine fibroid report from the State of Texas. The reports are intended to empower Texans to make choices on providers and allow studies and laws to better serve patients.
Data submissions are accepted in one standardized format widely used across the United States. The technical specifications required are outlined on the THCIC website. EMRs might be able to assist with submittals if the specifications on the website are used, but there is not currently collaboration with EMRs on formatting.
Process of Data Collection & Distribution
-
Data Submitted by ASCs
-
Analysts Review the Data
-
Data is Processed & Scrubbed + Identifiers are Removed
-
Reports are Generated in PUDF and research files
