Enroll in Direct Messaging

Enroll in HIway Direct Messaging

Enroll in HIway Direct Messaging

Enrollment in the Mass HIway is available to Massachusetts-licensed providers, health plans, and business associates. The services are open for health information exchange as permitted by law. If this applies to your organization, our Account Management team is available to assist you with the HIway enrollment, onboarding, and connection process. To get the process started:

  1. ​Contact the HIway to get connected with a HIway Account Manager as explained below
  2. Work with the Account Manager to get enrolled, identity proofed, and onboarded
  3. Develop and deploy HIE Use Cases to exchange health information with your trading partners

The Enrollment Process

Mass HIway participation is initiated through enrollment. To initiate enrollment, send an email to masshiway@state.ma.us, or call 1-855-MA-HIway and select Option 1 for Enrollment.
 
An Account Manager will be assigned, who will contact you to explain the enrollment process and will provide you with a set of enrollment documents to get started.
 
These documents include the Participation Agreement and forms to be reviewed and signed by your organization to get access to the Mass HIway. The documents and instructions are listed in the table below. Click on the links in the table to review the documents.
 
Compliance with these documents is required for new participants to connect to the Mass HIway: The Participation Agreement is non-negotiable and will not be changed or adapted for special requests.
 
Unless otherwise noted, an individual authorized to legally bind the prospective Participant or Participating Organization will need to act as signatory. Examples include a President, CEO, CFO, CIO, or owner of a medical practice. Please sign all documents as outlined.
 
You may scan and e-mail all documents to: masshiway@state.ma.us. Only PDF attachments are accepted, except for Exhibit A (3rd document), which needs to be attached in Excel format.
 
Document Instructions
Policies and Procedures (version 4)
Review this document which outlines the conditions and terms that apply to all Mass HIway Participants to ensure it is used in a safe, ethical, and lawful manner.
Participation and Business Associate Agreement
This agreement governs the access and use of the services of the Mass HIway network. It defines the roles and responsibilities of each party.
 
This document needs to be signed and returned during Enrollment.
Mass HIway Legal Entity and Sub Organization File Sheet V1
This Excel file includes demographic information about the organization as well as key contact detail.
 
This document is Exhibit A and needs to be completed and returned during Enrollment:
  • For single entities, complete only the top section for "Legal Entity (Participant)".
  • If signing on behalf of sub or member organizations, you must also complete the section labeled "Sub Organization / Member".
W-9 Form Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
 

The Identity Proofing Process

After enrollment, your organization must assign an Health Care Organization (HCO) Representative, who must be either your future Mass HIway Access Administrator or an Officer of the Organization, in accordance with your organization's policies and procedures.

The HCO Representative will be required to undergo an identity proofing process to serve as your HCO Administrator. Your HIway Account Manager can assist you with this process.

Follow the instructions for the Identity Proofing process as described in the "Identity Proofing" page.

The Onboarding Process

The Mass HIway has contracted with two vendors to operate, maintain, and support the HIway. To become a new HIway participant, you will be supported by both vendors:

  • Orion Health will provide Platform Implementation and Technical Support Services
     
  • MeHI will support you with Account Management, Consulting Services, Outreach, and Education
The HIway Services Team at Orion will configure and test your technical connection to the Mass HIway, to bring your organization onto the HIway network. Once your connection works, you will have the technical capabilities to start exchanging Direct Messages with other providers. An estimated timeline for this process is shown below.
 
Your Account Manager will help you select the best suitable connection method. Review the "Direct Messaging" and "Connection Methods" pages to learn about Direct Messaging and to review your options for connecting to HIway 2.0. The Account Manager will also assist you in defining appropriate Direct Address(es), which you will need to send and receive Direct Messages.
 
Upon completion, the Direct Address(es) will be added to the Mass HIway Provider Directory so other providers can see that you are connected. While the Provider Directory enables providers to look up who they can electronically exchange health information with, providers need to first jointly establish Use Cases for such exchanges.
 
Onboarding timeline
    The times in this table are estimates. Actual times vary by connection type, EHR vendor, and Participant.

Developing Use Cases

Going live requires more than just a technical connection and a Direct Address. You have to develop HIE Use Cases to define the who, what, when, where and how you will use the Mass HIway to exchange health information with other providers. This includes adapting your clinical workflows to incorporate HIE.

Your Account Manager can assist you with the use case development tasks, such as:

  • Assess HIE opportunities and barriers for your organization and providers
     
  • Identify viable exchange trading partners and relevant Use Cases
     
  • Engage, facilitate and manage electronic exchange across trading partners
     
  • Operationalize mutually agreed upon testing protocols, workflows, and processes
     
  • Get the right information securely to the right provider, at the right time
     
  • Streamline/Optimize internal and external workflows
     
  • HIE Educational services to all levels of the organization
     
  • Share lessons learned among the various HIE participants

HIway Account Management

The Mass HIway supports providers in connecting and using the Mass HIway. This support is provided by our HIway Account Management team. To learn more, click here.

HIway Attestation Forms

The Mass Provider Organizations subject to the HIway Connection Requirement must submit annual documentation attesting to their efforts to implement health information exchange use cases.

Additionally, Acute Care Hospitals will begin to submit information regarding participation in the EOHHS Market-based ENS Initiative. The deadline for submitting documentation regarding 2019 use cases/ENS participation is Dec. 31, 2020.

Provider Organizations must submit via the online webform. The HIway no longer accepts paper forms.

NEW THIS YEAR: Provider Organizations must enter their organization’s unique ID (and, if applicable, the unique IDs for any sub-organizations) on their attestation/exception form. Your ID is assigned by the HIway and can be found using this document.

For more information, please review the Mass HIway Regulations Summary and FAQs.                  

Recommendation

We advise that you use the PDF version of the applicable Attestation/Exception Form below to prepare your responses, and then complete the online version, which will go live on this page soon. HIway will not accept digital/scanned PDF submissions.

Forms

  • Click here for the Year 2 Attestation Form (for Small Community Health Centers) 
           
  • Click here for the Year 3 and 4 Attestation Form (for Medium/Large Medical Ambulatory Practices, Large Community Health Centers, and Acute Care Hospitals)
     
  • Click here for the Exception Form (for provider organizations that did not meet the Connection Requirement in 2019).
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