HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 854 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to mental health issues of committed persons. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 854
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO.
854
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to mental health issues of committed persons.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that mental health services in correctional facilities must be a priority. Act 144, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, appropriated funds and required reporting to address the mental health crisis in prisons. Since Act 144 appropriated funds to the department of public safety, now known as the department of corrections and rehabilitation, the department has submitted reports on its implementation of the Act's funds and priorities. The department's report for 2023 outlined the electronic health record system as "the leading challenge for the Health Care Division." The current record keeping system, eClinicalWorks, was inoperable from June 2022 to February 2023, leaving employees without access to thousands of necessary medical records. The inaccessible data included lab work, prescriptions, referrals for care, follow-up appointments, and other essential information. The software crashed due to a failure to update the system according to periodic software updates, in part because funds were never made available to purchase the updates. Instead of making these necessary software improvements, the department was operating on the original version of the program. The report identified that the procurement process for an electronic health record system was interrupted by the pandemic. While the department became a receiving participant with Hawaii Health Information Exchange in 2019, it is still evident that more progress is needed to ensure incarcerated individuals experience adequate access to health care and health records. The purpose of this Act is to: (1) Provide funds to the department of corrections and rehabilitation to execute a contract to update and replace the electronic record keeping system; and (2) Require the department to report to the legislature information regarding electronic record keeping for medical records. SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for procuring a new software for the department of corrections and rehabilitation's electronic record keeping system used for maintaining medical records of incarcerated persons in state-operated correctional facilities and any necessary software updates that may follow. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of corrections and rehabilitation for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 3. The department of corrections and rehabilitation shall report to the legislature by November 1, 2025, with information that addresses the following: (1) Any steps taken towards procuring a new contract for electronic record keeping after the procurement process was interrupted by the pandemic; (2) The sufficiency of the current software administered by eClinicalWorks; (3) Any particular inadequacies with the existing electronic record keeping software that should be addressed in the next procurement; (4) Efforts to accomplish electronic information sharing in collaboration with the department of health and the department of human services to better serve the medical needs of incarcerated individuals; (5) A list of potential third party entities which would be able to offer software and services sufficient to meet the electronic record keeping needs of the department; and (6) Methods by which the legislature may assist the department in procuring a new electronic record keeping software. SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that mental health services in correctional facilities must be a priority. Act 144, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, appropriated funds and required reporting to address the mental health crisis in prisons. Since Act 144 appropriated funds to the department of public safety, now known as the department of corrections and rehabilitation, the department has submitted reports on its implementation of the Act's funds and priorities.
The department's report for 2023 outlined the electronic health record system as "the leading challenge for the Health Care Division." The current record keeping system, eClinicalWorks, was inoperable from June 2022 to February 2023, leaving employees without access to thousands of necessary medical records. The inaccessible data included lab work, prescriptions, referrals for care, follow-up appointments, and other essential information. The software crashed due to a failure to update the system according to periodic software updates, in part because funds were never made available to purchase the updates. Instead of making these necessary software improvements, the department was operating on the original version of the program.
The report identified that the procurement process for an electronic health record system was interrupted by the pandemic. While the department became a receiving participant with Hawaii Health Information Exchange in 2019, it is still evident that more progress is needed to ensure incarcerated individuals experience adequate access to health care and health records.
The purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Provide funds to the department of corrections and rehabilitation to execute a contract to update and replace the electronic record keeping system; and
(2) Require the department to report to the legislature information regarding electronic record keeping for medical records.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for procuring a new software for the department of corrections and rehabilitation's electronic record keeping system used for maintaining medical records of incarcerated persons in state-operated correctional facilities and any necessary software updates that may follow.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of corrections and rehabilitation for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 3. The department of corrections and rehabilitation shall report to the legislature by November 1, 2025, with information that addresses the following:
(1) Any steps taken towards procuring a new contract for electronic record keeping after the procurement process was interrupted by the pandemic;
(2) The sufficiency of the current software administered by eClinicalWorks;
(3) Any particular inadequacies with the existing electronic record keeping software that should be addressed in the next procurement;
(4) Efforts to accomplish electronic information sharing in collaboration with the department of health and the department of human services to better serve the medical needs of incarcerated individuals;
(5) A list of potential third party entities which would be able to offer software and services sufficient to meet the electronic record keeping needs of the department; and
(6) Methods by which the legislature may assist the department in procuring a new electronic record keeping software.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title: Electronic Record Keeping; DC&R; Medical Records; Reporting; Appropriation Description: Appropriates $500,000, for each year of the fiscal biennium to the department of corrections and rehabilitation to procure a new software for electronic record keeping of medical records. Requires a report to the legislature. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
Report Title:
Electronic Record Keeping; DC&R; Medical Records; Reporting; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates $500,000, for each year of the fiscal biennium to the department of corrections and rehabilitation to procure a new software for electronic record keeping of medical records. Requires a report to the legislature.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.