Manifest MedEx Launches No-Cost California ADT Network

Manifest MedEx, California’s largest nonprofit Qualified Health Information Organization (QHIO), is launching the California ADT Network — a no-cost, electronic ADT notification exchange — to help organizations exchange Admit, Discharge, and Transfer data in compliance with the state’s Data Exchange Framework (DxF) and to substantially scale the sharing of ADT alerts across the state. 

California hospitals, health systems, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and QHIOs participating in the DxF can sign on to the California ADT Network to securely send and receive basic ADT notifications for free to improve patient care and help meet DxF data sharing requirements — without any requirement to join the broader MX network or access other products and data services from the QHIO, such as longitudinal patient records and claims data. 

ADTs are simple electronic messages, typically sent by a hospital or SNF’s electronic health record (EHR), letting an assigned physician and care team know their patient has been admitted to a care setting, discharged from a care setting, or transferred to another care setting. These push notifications trigger timely care coordination that help reduce avoidable hospital readmissions, improve patient outcomes, and lower overall healthcare costs. 

Hospitals are required to send ADT notifications to community providers as a Condition of Participation under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) programs, and it will be required under law for most California hospitals by Jan. 31, 2024. SNFs are encouraged to send ADT notifications to DxF participants by the January 2024 deadline as well. 

The free, bi-directional ADT exchange from Manifest MedEx removes cost barriers for DxF participants and streamlines this required data sharing, the organization said. It will enable more ADT notifications to be shared between hospitals, SNFs, and QHIOs supporting their care teams who “subscribe” for alerts on their patients — ultimately benefiting the patient. 

“Removing the pay-to-play cost barriers that exist today, making more ADTs accessible while protecting patient privacy, and getting them to the right care team — especially in critical access, rural, and under-resourced areas — is fundamental to creating the digital health data safety net we need in California,” said Erica Galvez, CEO of Manifest MedEx, in a statement. “The California ADT Network will rapidly accelerate California’s ability to positively transform health equity, public health, and Medi-Cal outcomes, which rely on robust and seamless health data sharing among all providers.” 

In addition, California primary care providers, specialists, and clinics can continue to join Manifest MedEx’s broader network for free to receive ADT notifications. Manifest MedEx said providers in other QHIO networks will also benefit from more notifications when their QHIO participates in the California ADT Network. 

“Providers have been asking for this type of real-time health data for decades to help physicians provide better and more efficient care for their patients,” said William Barcellona, executive vice president of government affairs for America’s Physician Groups, a national professional association of over 300 medical groups and independent practice associations across the United States, in a statement. “This is a great opportunity for California to advance health data sharing to benefit all patients and communities.” 

Currently, Manifest MedEx sends approximately 1.5 million ADTs per month for more than 90 percent of Californians across 1,800 providers, 125 hospitals, and 16 health plans. Manifest MedEx stresses that it does not monetize or resell patient data.