HB 534 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

Mississippi Health Information Exchange; create.

HB 534 creates the Mississippi Health Information Exchange, a statewide system enabling real-time electronic sharing of patient data between licensed hospitals, clinics, insurers, and public health agencies. It requires all licensed hospitals and community mental health centers to connect to the system for sharing admission/discharge/transfer data and bed availability, while allowing other providers to join voluntarily. The exchange is managed by a nonprofit entity selected through a competitive bid, with a special fund covering participation costs, and ensures data sharing complies with privacy laws like HIPAA. The system aims to improve care coordination, reduce administrative costs, and support public health research on priority issues like maternal health and mental health outcomes.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Jan 2026

House Passage

Jan 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Last action Mar 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Current version · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill title was updated from 'Committee Substitute' to 'As Passed the House', indicating the bill has moved forward in the legislative process after House approval. No substantive policy changes, scope modifications, or content alterations were made to the bill text itself - only the version designation was updated to reflect its current legislative status.

TECHNICAL

Version designation changed from 'Committee Substitute' to 'As Passed the House' to reflect the bill's current legislative status after House approval.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

The Committee Substitute version of HB 534 significantly expands the Mississippi Health Information Exchange by adding mandatory participation requirements for hospitals and mental health centers, establishing new data access rules for the Department of Health, and creating a dedicated funding mechanism. The bill also adds patient opt-out provisions and clarifies the designated entity's responsibilities for security and interoperability.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly requires licensed hospitals and community mental health centers to connect to the exchange as a condition of licensure, and adds new requirements for the designated entity to implement patient opt-out mechanisms and specific security standards.

REQUIREMENT

Mandatory participation requirement: Hospitals and community mental health centers must now connect to the exchange and transmit data as a condition of licensure in Mississippi.

Patient opt-out provision: The designated entity must develop a process allowing patients to opt out of participation without denying them health care or treatment.

Department of Health data access: The Department may now access all exchange data for public health purposes but cannot disclose it to other participants, while de-identified data may be used for research and public health reporting.

Enhanced entity requirements: Added new criteria for the designated entity including at least two years of operational experience, established data interfaces with major EHR systems, current security certifications, and ability to expand services within six months.

Security and standards: Requires industry-accepted security standards and policies to protect protected health information transmitted through the exchange.

FISCAL

New funding mechanism: Creates the Mississippi Health Information Exchange Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury, including provisions for Rural Health Transformation Fund allocations and interest earnings that must remain in the special fund.

Floor votes · House Jan 21, 2026

How they voted

96–18

Passed · 8 other

Total votes 122

Jan 21, 2026

D Democratic40

24 Yea 12 Nay 4

60% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican80

70 Yea 6 Nay 4

87% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 23, 2026

Committee

Referred To Public Health and Welfare

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred To Public Health and Human Services

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors