Enterprise Information Exchange (EIE) and Patient Consent
The Mount Sinai Enterprise Information Exchange (EIE) Program is an initiative to improve how Mount Sinai exchanges electronic health information – meaning how Mount Sinai can access and share electronic health information with other health care organizations.
As we increase information exchange, Mount Sinai remains committed to ensuring the privacy and security of our patients’ electronic protected health information (PHI).
Watch the EIE Consent for Patients video to learn more.
What is EIE Consent?
New York State is an opt-in state for information exchange. This means that healthcare organizations, like Mount Sinai, must document a patient’s explicit consent prior to exchanging that patient’s PHI through regional and national health information exchange networks. Mount Sinai collects this consent using the EIE Consent form.
If you have previously completed a HIE or Healthix Consent form at Mount Sinai, you should know that the EIE Consent form and your EIE Consent decision will replace the previous form and any prior decision made.
Where will I complete the EIE Consent form?
Mount Sinai has a record of all patients who have completed the EIE Consent form. If you need to complete the EIE Consent form, a Mount Sinai registration team member will know to offer you the EIE consent form when you present at your next visit.
If you have a MyChart account, you may also have the option to complete a digital version in the MyChart eCheckIn process. Note that eCheckIn is only for scheduled visits and not yet available at all Mount Sinai clinics. Visit the Mount Sinai’s MyChart page to log in and learn more.
How do I complete the EIE Consent form?
- Receive the EIE consent form when registering at your next visit, or in your MyChart account via eCheckIn.
- Choose your consent decision. If using a paper form, you will need to completely fill in the oval next your consent decision using a black or blue pen.
- Accurately complete all required information (e.g., name, date of birth).
- Sign and date the form.
How do I learn more?
If you are a Mount Sinai patient and want to learn more about the consent form, you can download this informational brochure, or ask for it at your next visit. You should also read through the FAQ section below.
To learn more about the HIPAA Privacy Rule and other protections around your electronic health information, please visit the HIPAA homepage or the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
For staff:
If you work at Mount Sinai and want to learn more about how EIE Consent impacts staff, please visit the EIE Consent page on the Mount Sinai Intranet.
How does EIE Consent work?
By completing the EIE Consent Form, a patient can document their decision to give or deny Mount Sinai the authority to use electronic exchange solutions to access or share a patient’s health information with other healthcare organizations.
A patient’s consent decision is durable and prospective, meaning that the decision never expires until it is changed and applies to all future cases where consent is required.
Please note the EIE Consent Form and your EIE Consent decision only apply to the Mount Sinai Health System. You may need to complete separate consents at other hospitals and health organizations, if you would like to authorize those organizations to exchange your electronic health information.
Are patients required to give their consent?
Consent is optional for all patients. A patient is not required to give their consent, or even to complete the EIE Consent form at all. However, patients should consider the benefits of consent when making that decision.
Giving consent to electronic health information exchange means your care providers get more information. With better the access to your information, your care providers are more likely to have a holistic picture of your health and make the best and most informed decisions when planning your treatment and providing care.
How does Mount Sinai ensure the privacy of patients’ electronic health information?
- Affirmative consent via the EIE Consent Form is required to exchange electronic PHI.
- When patients register for a visit at Mount Sinai, they will have the option to complete the EIE Consent Form.
- Patients have the option to change their previous consent decision by completing a new form at any time.
- Patients have the option to withdraw their previous consent decision by completing a new form at any time and selecting the fourth option, “I do not wish to make a decision at this time”.
- In a medical emergency in a Mount Sinai Emergency Department, if the patient is unable to complete the form or there is no prior decision recorded, New York State allows one-time exchange of health information at the emergency provider’s request.
To learn more about the HIPAA Privacy Rule and other protections around your electronic health information, please visit the HIPAA homepage or the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT.
How does Mount Sinai exchange my information electronically?
Mount Sinai participates in 4 information-exchange solutions, all of which are covered by the EIE consent form.
The Mount Sinai Health Information Exchange (MSHIE) allows Mount Sinai staff and partners in and around New York City to exchange health information.
Healthix is a regional organization collecting data from providers in the greater New York area and across New York State. Your consent allows Mount Sinai to exchange health information statewide.
Epic Care Everywhere allows your health information to be exchanged with institutions that use the Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) nationwide.
Carequality is a set of policies and technical standards and policies that, with your consent, allows Mount Sinai to exchange health information with other institutions across the country.
How do I change or withdraw an existing EIE Consent decision?
If you’ve already completed the EIE Consent form before and want to change or withdraw your previous decision, please follow the below steps:
1. Download and print a new EIE Consent form with cover sheet from the links below.
English
Spanish
2. Follow the instructions for completing the form, making sure to mark your new decision by completely filling in the oval next to it using a black or blue pen.
3. If you want to withdraw your previous decision but not replace it with a new decision, please mark the last answer option, “I do not wish to make a decision at this time”.
4. Follow the instructions on the cover sheet for submitting the new consent decision to Mount Sinai.