Iowa Code § 225A.6 - Behavioral health service system — data collection and use

1. The department shall take all of the following actions for data related to the behavioral health service system: a. Collect and analyze the data, including but not limited to Medicaid and community services network data, as necessary to issue cost estimates for serving populations, providing treatment, making and receiving payments, conducting operations, and performing prevention and health promotion activities. In doing so, the department shall maintain compliance with applicable federal and state privacy laws to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of individually identifiable data. The department shall periodically assess the status of the department’s compliance to ensure that data collected by and stored with the department is protected. b. Establish and administer a central data repository for collecting and analyzing state, behavioral health district, and contracted behavioral health provider data. c. Establish a record for each individual receiving publicly funded services from an administrative services organization. Each record shall include a unique client identifier for the purposes of identifying and tracking the individual’s record. d. Consult with administrative services organizations, behavioral health service providers, and other behavioral health service system stakeholders on an ongoing basis to implement and maintain the central data repository. e. Engage with all entities that maintain information the department is required to collect pursuant to this section in order to integrate all data concerning individuals receiving services within the behavioral health service system. f. Engage with all entities that maintain general population data relating to behavioral health in order to develop action plans, create projections relating to a population’s behavioral health needs, develop policies concerning behavioral health, and otherwise perform acts as necessary to enhance the state’s overall behavioral health. 2. Administrative services organizations shall report all data required to be maintained in the central data repository to the department in a manner as established by the department by rule. For the purpose of making such data reports, an administrative services organization shall do one of the following: a. Utilize a data system that integrates with the data systems used by the department. b. Utilize a data system that has the capacity to securely exchange information with the department, other behavioral health districts, contractors, and other entities involved with the behavioral health service system who are authorized to access the central data repository. 3. Data and information maintained by and exchanged between an administrative services organization and the department shall be labeled consistently, share the same definitions, utilize the same common coding and nomenclature, and be in a form and format as required by the department by rule. 4. Administrative services organizations shall report to the department, in a manner specified by the department, information including but not limited to demographic information, expenditure data, and data concerning the behavioral health services and other support provided to individuals in the administrative service organization’s district. 5. The department shall ensure that public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals that operate within the behavioral health service system, or that make formal requests for the release of data collected by the department, maintain uniform methods for keeping statistical information relating to behavioral health service system outcomes and performance. 6. The department shall develop and implement a communication plan that details how outcome and performance data will be shared with stakeholders including but not limited to the public, persons involved with the behavioral health service system, and the general assembly. 2024 Acts, ch 1161, §6, 11 Referred to in §225A.3 Section effective July 1, 2025; 2024 Acts, ch 1161, §11 NEW section