Hospital Data Submitters

4/3/2023 - Annual Portal Updates & Override Resets – Action Required 4/4 thru 4/30/2023

Starting April 4th, Administrator users are required to update their facility’s registration information, i.e. Users, Contacts, and Summary in the portal. Annual registration updates must be completed between April 4th and April 30th. Detailed instructions are here. Additionally, we will be performing our annual Exemption and Profile-level override resets. Due to all Profile and Exemption-Level overrides being reset, most users will have validation issues to review and resolve when submitting Q1 2023 data or 2022 Q4 delinquent data. See the timeline for implementation of the changes and other activities below.

Hospital Data Webinar Recording and Deck Available

The deck for the 3/22/23 webinar is available. Also the recording can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/dpL7t-ZhG2g.

Please note these important tasks and dates for the submission of Chapter 241 Hospital Data.

Task Due Date
Instructions regarding Chapter 241 annual updates will be emailed 4/3/23
Expiration of Annual Exemption-level and Profile-level Overrides 4/4/23
Annual review and updates of facilities’ users, contacts, and summary information 4/30/23
Deadline for Q1 2023 data 4/30/23
3/31/22 - Hospital Portal Annual Updates - Action Required by 4/30/2022

Starting April 6th, Administrator users are required to update their facility’s registration information—Users, Contacts, and Summary - in the portal. Annual registration updates must be completed between April 6th and April 30th. See these detailed instructions. Additionally, we will be performing our annual Exemption and Profile-level override resets.

Below is the timeline for implementation of the changes and other activities.

Task Start Date End Date
Annual validation override reset occurs 4/5/2022 4/5/2022
Annual registration information updates 4/6/2022 4/30/2022
Q1 2022 data file submissions 4/6/2022 6/30/2022

Note: Failure to complete your updates may result in delays processing files and the release of MHDO’s data to authorized data users.

2/10/22 - January 18th Webinar Deck and Recording Available

The PowerPoint slides from the January 18, 2022 webinar are now available, as is the recording. The recording can be found on YouTube via this URL: https://youtu.be/6iqIgsp5Z7Q.

1/7/22 - Hospital Encounter Data Webinar 1/18/22 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET

MHDO will host a webinar on Tuesday, January 18, from 1-2 PM ET to discuss and respond to questions regarding Rule Chapter 241, including, file format changes, new elements, and validations. A recording of the webinar will be available for those who are unable to attend the session.

NOTE: On April 6th, 2022, the MHDO will release an update to the MHDO Hospital Data Portal that will include the latest revisions to Chapter 241: Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets. Please see the Final Basis Statement/Summary of Changes for Proposed Rule Chapter 241 and the validation rule updates spreadsheet.

Join the 1/18/22 Webinar via Zoom Meeting:

  • URL: Click this link https://zoom.us/j/94881746516 or copy and paste the URL: https://zoom.us/j/94881746516 into a browser
  • Meeting ID: 948 8174 6516
  • One tap mobile +13126266799,,94881746516# US (Chicago)
    +1 6465588656,,94881746516# US (New York)

Lastly below is a summary of key activities and dates as we prepare for your data submissions based on the updated requirements in MHDO’s Rule Chapter 241. We will discuss in more detail during the webinar.

Task Start Date End Date
Webinar Regarding Chapter 241 file format changes, new elements, and validations 1/18/22 1/18/22
Instructions regarding annual updates will be emailed 3/28/22 4/1/22
Last day files for any period in 2021 will be accepted in the old format 4/1/22 4/1/22
Files submitted during this period will be held until portal changes are made 4/4/22 4/5/22
Submission of 2022 data begins and held files are processed 4/6/22 4/6/22
Expiration of Annual Exemption-level and profile-level Overrides 4/6/22 4/6/22
Annual review and updates of facilities' users, contacts, and summary information 4/6/22 4/30/22
Deadline for Q1 2022 data 6/30/22 6/30/22

If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at mhdohelp@hsri.org or (866) 451-5876.

4/02/21 - Hospital Portal Annual Updates Required by 4/30/2021

Starting April 7th, Administrator users are required to update their facility’s registration information—Users, Contacts, and Summary - in the portal. Annual registration updates must be completed between April 7th and April 30th. See these detailed instructions. Additionally, we will be performing our annual Exemption and Profile-level override resets.

Below is the timeline for implementation of the changes and other activities.

Task Start Date End Date
Annual validation override reset occurs 4/6/2021 4/6/2021
Annual registration information updates 4/7/2021 4/30/2021
Q1 2021 data file submissions 4/7/2021 6/30/2021

Note: Failure to complete your updates may result in delays processing files and the release of MHDO’s data to authorized data users.

4/17/20 - Hospital Portal Annual Updates Required by 4/30/2020

Starting April 8th, MHDO Hospital Data Portal Administrative users are required to update their facility’s registration information—Users, Contacts, and Summary - in the portal. Annual registration updates must be completed between April 8th and April 30th. Please see these detailed instructions.

Additionally, we will be performing our annual Exemption and Profile-level override resets and implementing validation changes.

Below is the timeline for implementation of the changes and other activities.

Task Start Date End Date
Validation changes implemented and annual override reset occurs 4/8/2020 4/8/2020
Annual registration information updates due 4/8/2020 4/30/2020
Q1 2020 data files are due 4/8/2020 6/30/2020
1/23/20 - Testing Portal Available for the First Day of Testing Changes Due to Revised Rule Chapter 241

Testing of Chapter 241 data files and validation rule changes begins today, Thursday, January 23rd in the MHDO Hospital Data Portal Test Site. Be sure to follow the testing instructions provided and utilize the list of validation rule updates (updated 6/25/20) and spreadsheet containing record type and element lengths and positions.

1/3/20 - Documents for April 2020 Hospital Data Portal Update and Annual Registration

We are providing the Hospital Validation Changes Spreadsheet (updated 6/25/20). Please be sure to see all three tabs regarding the structural, inpatient and outpatient validation changes for the revisions to Rule Chapter 241. You will find information regarding the length of record types and elements in this spreadsheet with position and length information for those added and changed elements. These documents should be provided to those responsible for the file layout as soon as possible to allow ample time for the work necessary.

For those who could not attend the 12/17/19 webinar, you may see the PowerPoint slides, and the recording is now available on YouTube via this link: https://youtu.be/W00IBhHTiIQ.

Please refresh your memory with the important tasks and dates in the table from the 12/12/19 announcement below. Again, be sure that Q4 2019 data is submitted prior to 3/30/20, because files submitted after that date and files with failures not overridden will structurally fail and need to be reformatted to fit the new Chapter 241 structure.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Help Desk at mhdohelp@hsri.org or (866) 451-5876.

12/12/19 - Message Re: April 2020 Hospital Data Portal Update, Annual Registration and 12/17/19 Webinar.

On April 8th, 2020 the MHDO will release an update to the Maine Hospital Data Portal that will include the latest revisions to 90-590 Chapter 241: Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets. Please see the Summary of Changes document as well as the Proposed Rule on our Rules and Statutes page.

SAVE THE DATE: MHDO will host a webinar on December 17th from 1:00-2:00pm ET to discuss and respond to questions regarding file format changes, new elements and validations. You must register here in order to join the webinar. Note: A recording of the webinar will be available for those who are unable to attend the session.

Lastly, MHDO’s annual hospital registration updates will begin on April 8, 2020, when the latest release goes into production.

Please note the important dates below.

Task Start Date End Date
Webinar to review Testing of MHDO Chapter 241 and Validation Rule Changes 12/17/2019 12/17/19
Q4 2019 data files are due in old Chapter 241 format 1/1/2020 3/30/2020
Hospital testing of Chapter 241 and validation rule changes in Hospital Data Portal Test Site 1/23/2020 2/21/2020
Last day files for any period will be accepted in the old Chapter 241 format 3/30/2020 3/30/2020
Files submitted in this period will be held and processed on 4/8/2020 4/1/2020 4/7/2020
Begin submissions of new Chapter 241 formatted files (Q1 2020) and LOS Crosswalks (if applicable) - Annual override reset 4/8/2020 4/8/2020
Annual registration information updates due 4/8/2020 4/30/2020
Q1 2020 data files are due in the new Chapter 241 format 6/30/2020 6/30/2020
4/02/19 - Notice of Validation Changes and Need for Annual Update Changes

Starting tomorrow, April 3rd, Administrator users are required to update their facility’s registration information—Users, Contacts, and Summary - in the portal. Annual registration updates must be completed between April 3rd and April 30th. Detailed instructions can be found here.

Additionally, we will be performing our annual Exemption and Profile-level override resets and implementing validation changes. See the timeline table from 2/27/19 for implementation of the changes and other activities.

2/27/19 Notification of Upcoming Validation Changes and Annual Updates in Portal

We would like to inform you of the upcoming validation changes and annual updates occurring in the MHDO Hospital Portal this spring. The MHDO is not making changes to Rule Chapter 241 requirements at this time, but validation changes will be occurring to address ongoing data quality concerns. Additionally, we will be performing our annual Exemption and Profile-level override resets and requiring registration updates from hospitals. Correspondence will be sent in the near future providing the steps you will need to take. In the meantime, please see each tab of the hospital validation changes spreadsheet to learn about the three types of validation changes going live April 3rd.

Task Start Date End Date
Files submitted in this period will be held and processed on 4/3/2019 4/1/2019 4/2/19
Validation changes implemented and annual override reset occurs 4/2/2019 4/2/2019
Annual registration information updates due 4/3/2019 4/30/2019
Q1 2019 data files are due 6/30/2019 6/30/2019
3/19/18 Notifications of Change

Based on questions and comments received after the February 15th webinar we are making some modifications to the location of service (LOS) crosswalk requirements effective with the Q1 2018 outpatient data. Specifically, we are dropping the NPI column since there is so much variation regarding the use and assignment of NPIs at the practice level. The updated guidance is below.

Goal: Allow data users to identify which services/encounters occurred at a physician practice in a standardized way as well as provide the name and location of the physician practice for more detailed analysis. Do not need to identify labs, hospital departments, imaging centers etc.

Requirement: When OP4006 is populated with a subset of Place of Service codes (11, 17, 20, 22, 49, 50, 71, 72), the LOS field OP4005 must be populated and the full name of the physician/physician practice along with other information must be listed in the LOS crosswalk.

OP4005 LOS Code Crosswalk Template/Example:

LOS Code Location Name Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City State Zip Code
MEHSP2018A Mid Maine Physician Clinic 15 Hospital Lane   Clinton ME 04927
3/06/18 February 15th Webinar Recording Now Available - It can be found on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/6GduNRtVDdc

02/15/18 Testing & Webinar Information

The PowerPoint deck for today's webinar is now available. For those who cannot attend, the recording will be posted approximately two weeks later.

The Testing Portal is now available for submission of test file at https://mhdo.maine.gov/hospital_test/. Contact the help desk at MHDOHelp@hsri.org for assistance.

02/14/18 Upcoming Testing of MHDO Chapter 241 and Validation Rule Changes

Testing of MHDO Rule Chapter 241, Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets and validation rule changes will begin on Thursday, February 15th in the MHDO Hospital Data Portal Test Site.

See the documents below to assist in your testing process.

02/01/18 Revised Testing Time Frame & Webinar

Testing Time Frame Change:
The testing period for Chapter 241 and validation rule changes previously scheduled to begin February 1st and close February 28th has been adjusted to begin in the MHDO Hospital Data Portal Test Site February 15th and close March 9th.

Upcoming Webinar:
Please join us for a webinar on Thursday, February 15th from 1-2pm to review the changes to Chapter 241 and validation rules and expectations during the testing period. Please save the date and register for the webinar today. As with the first webinar, we encourage you to invite your technical vendors and or anyone else responsible for complying with the technical specifications to join this call.

Below are a few key reminders.

  • Chapter 241 - Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets was revised and will go into effect 1/1/2018 – see Chapter 241 on our Rules page.
  • A recording of the webinar held on November 15th, 2017 regarding the upcoming changes is posted below as is the Questions and Answers document from the webinar.
  • Once testing begins the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) within the MHDO Hospital Data Portal will be updated periodically with questions related to Chapter 241 changes.
11/30/17 Webinar Recording Now Available - The recorded 11/15/17 Webinar can be found on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/q0jOzmpdTR0

Questions and Answers from the webinar are also available.

Please make note of the key tasks and dates for the transition to Chapter 241 changes in the portal.

Task Start Date End Date
Hospital testing of Chapter 241 and validation changes in Hospital Data Test Portal. 2/1/2018 2/15/18 2/28/2018 3/9/18
Q4 2017 data files are due in old Chapter 241 format 1/1/2018 3/30/2018
Last day files for any period will be accepted in the old Chapter 241 format 3/30/2018 3/30/2018
Files submitted in this period will be held and processed on 4/4/2018 4/1/2018 4/3/2018
Begin submissions of new Chapter 241 formatted files (Q1 2018) and LOS Crosswalks (if applicable) - Annual override reset 4/4/2018 4/4/2018
Annual registration information updates 4/4/2018 4/30/2018
Webinar 11/15/17 1:00 - 2:00 - The deck is now available.

11/9/17 - Save the Date & Register

After a public hearing and receiving feedback from interested parties the MHDO board of directors approved the final changes to MHDO Rule Chapter 241, Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets, in September 2017. The rule was adopted and effective 10/31/17. The changes are effective with the submission of your January 2018 data. We have scheduled a Webinar for November 15th from 1:00 - 2:00 pm to review the changes and answer any questions. We encourage you to register and invite your technical vendors and or anyone else responsible for complying with the technical specifications for Rule Chapter 241 to register and join this call as well. In the meantime, you can review the final rule and summary of changes on our Rules and Statues page. Please do not hesitate to contact Karynlee.Harrington@maine.gov or Kimberly.Wing@maine.gov with any questions.

August 5, 2016 The deck from yesterday's training webinar is available. Please check back next week for the recording.

August 2, 2016 Hospital Data Portal Live! Training Webinar to be Held August 4th 1-2pm

The MHDO Hospital Data Portal is now live and accessible at https://mhdo.maine.gov/hospital_portal/.

The User Manual and FAQ document are available in the Help section of the Portal.

As a reminder, we will hold a training webinar for the new Portal on Thursday, August 4th, 1-2pm EDT. Please register for the webinar. Following is the agenda:

  1. Welcome and Updates
  2. Testing Summary
  3. Crosswalks for Validation: Payer and LOS
  4. Validation Updates (including future changes to Chapter 241)
  5. Portal Demonstration
    1. Submitting a File
    2. Viewing Submission History
    3. Viewing Validation Results and Resolving Issues
    4. Requesting an exemption
    5. Updating information (including contacts, data streams, vendors etc.)
    6. Help Resources (Help Desk Contact, User Manual, FAQs)
  6. Timeline
    1. Data Due Dates
  7. Questions

We will record the training for anyone unable to attend and post online. Lastly, below are a few key dates and actions required:

  • Tuesday, August 2nd - New MHDO Portal Goes Live
  • Thursday, August 4th – Training Webinar
  • Wednesday, August 31st - 3rd (if not previously submitted to Databay) and 4th quarter of 2015 and the 1st quarter of 2016 files are due to the MHDO.
  • Friday, September 30th – 2nd quarter 2016 files due. This is back on the regular submission schedule.

Hope you can join us for the webinar this week and again thank you for your efforts throughout this process.

July 27, 2016 Go Live August 2nd and Training Webinar August 4th 1-2pm

Thank you to everyone who participated in Phase 5 testing. Your continued engagement in this process is much appreciated and will help all of us with the transition to the new MHDO Portal. While the Portal is now closed for test submissions, once the Portal is live next week, you can still “test” your submissions within the production site.

We will hold a training webinar for the new Portal on Thursday, August 4th, 1-2pm EDT. Based on your feedback, one of the key agenda items for this webinar is how to address file validation failures through the new validation process. We will demonstrate the override process which will allow you to bypass certain validations within the portal, allowing your file to pass without resubmission. If there are any other issues or questions you would like us to address during this webinar, please contact Leanne Candura at lcandura@hsri.org.

Please register for the webinar. We will send a full agenda out next week prior to training. We will record the training for anyone unable to attend and post online. Lastly, below are a few key dates and actions required:

  • Friday, July 29th - Any outstanding crosswalks due to the help desk: mhdohelp@norc.org
  • Tuesday, August 2nd - New MHDO Portal Goes Live
  • Wednesday, August 31st - 3rd (if not previously submitted to Databay) and 4th quarter of 2015 and the 1st quarter of 2016 files are due to the MHDO.
  • Friday, September 30th – 2nd quarter 2016 files due. This is back on the regular submission schedule.

Hope you can join us for the webinar next week and again thank you for your efforts throughout this process. I am looking forward to the return on our collective investment-a more efficient submission process for you and a higher quality of data coming in for our users. - Karynlee

July 8, 2016 Last Opportunity to Submit Test Files

This is a reminder that Phase 5 Testing ends Wednesday, July 13th. This is the last opportunity to submit a test file before the Portal Go Live date of Tuesday, August 2nd. If you did not submit test files in Phase 4, we are requiring that you submit inpatient, outpatient and provider-based clinic files (if separate from outpatient files) during this final test period.

If you have not already done so you must also submit your Payer and Location of Service cross-walk files to the Help Desk. See the detailed instructions for completion of the payer cross-walk and location of service cross-walk. Also refer to the full testing instructions.

Please contact the Help Desk at mhdohelp@norc.org with questions about data submission or file processing/validation.

July 6, 2016 Phase 5 Testing Begins June 29th

The communication below was sent via email to hospital data submitters on June 29, 2016.

The MHDO Hospital Portal is now open for Phase 5 Testing: https://mhdo.maine.gov/hospital_portal. Please refer to the testing instructions.

Few key points:

  1. All files submitted during Phase 4 testing (over 100 files) have been automatically reprocessed against all validations, including the updates listed below. We are pleased to report that the remaining issues with many of the files are in the single digit range.
  2. The validation results of the reprocessed files are available in the Portal in the "History" page under the Submission section.
  3. Remaining validation issues (Exemption, Ad Hoc and Profile level) should be addressed through the override process. This process is described in the Testing Instructions in the Checking Your File for Validation Issues section - Validation Failure Review. Please note that we are not testing the override process, so we would expect that those types of validation issues remain present on your files. The override process will go into place once the portal goes live August 2, 2016.
  4. We are developing training materials to further detail the override process which we will review in a webinar training session the first week of August.

If you have not already submitted test files in Phase 4, we are requiring that you submit inpatient, outpatient and provider-based clinic files (if separate from outpatient files) during this final test period.

Please continue to review Notifications posted on the Portal Home Screen right after you log-in for the most recent updates. Also, don’t hesitate to contact the help desk at mhdohelp@norc.org when questions about data submission or file processing/validation arise.

Be sure to see the revised timeline and other pertinent information from the June 23, 2016 communication (also found below)

July 1, 2016 Update Re: New Hospital Portal Update and Additional Testing

The communication below was sent by the MHDO Executive Director to hospital data submitters via email June 23, 2016.

A big thank you to those of you that participated in our Phase 4 testing of the new MHDO Hospital Data Portal. As you know, we closed Phase 4 of testing last Friday so that we can make the adjustments to the Portal based on your feedback. During this time we will also reprocess all files submitted in Phase 4 against these validation adjustments (details of adjustments below). The results of the reprocessed files will be available in the Portal.

In an effort to be responsive to your feedback we are offering an additional Phase of testing (Phase 5) that will begin next week. Detailed below is the revised timeline which includes the Phase 5 testing period as well as the revised Go Live date. Lastly, we are in the process of contacting hospitals and vendors/contractors who have specific questions that haven’t been addressed through this email or through the Portal Help Desk.

Again, I want to thank those of you who have participated in the process of testing our new data submission portal. Your feedback will make the system better. I recognize the work that has been involved and again I appreciate all that you have done. Please don’t hesitate to contact me or the help desk (mhdohelp@norc.org) with any questions.

Revised Timeline

Wednesday, June 29th - Wednesday, July 13th: Phase 5 Testing Open – files submitted during Phase 4 will be automatically reprocessed and the results will be available for review once the Portal reopens for Phase 5 testing. This is the last opportunity to submit a test file before the Portal Go Live date.

Tuesday, August 2nd - Wednesday, August 31st: Portal Go Live with Hospital Files Due - Hospitals are required to submit both the 3rd (if not previously submitted to Databay) and 4th quarter of 2015 and the 1st quarter of 2016 during this period. Failure to submit data may result in enforcement action as described in my April 21, 2016 message below.

Validation Changes Update

Removal of Front End Validation

  1. Rule 354: Type of Bill OR Location of Service: Rule 345 will be removed.
  2. Rule 153: Valid Diagnosis for Newborn Priority (Type) of Admission or Visit: Rule 153 will be removed for Phase 5 and Go Live. We may revisit in the future.
  3. Rule 295: Operating Provider Identifier Populated Requires Surgical Procedure: Rule 295 will be removed for Phase 5 and Go Live. We may revisit in the future.

Updates That Will Be In Place For Phase 5

  1. Valid Submitter ZIP Code: Adjusting to look at strictly the first five characters of a zip code in order to increase opportunities for passing.
  2. Record Type 50 - Structural: The requirement for Record Type 50 will become an Exemption level validation with a lower threshold. Accommodation charge present when inpatient.
  3. Total Matches Sum: Previously, this validation unilaterally summed all Revenue Code charges submitted in the respective Revenue fields, in some cases resulting in twice the accurate sum. The sum was then compared with the value submitted in the Record Type 90 field. This raised problems due to the presence of ‘0001’ codes, especially on Outpatient fields where Chap 241 specifies their submission. To provide accurate totals validation, regardless of submission of ‘0001’ codes, we are working on creating exclusions in the logic for Revenue Charges that are paired with the ‘0001’ Total Charges Revenue Code.
  4. Matching Revenue Center Fields: All OP Record Type 61 validations by this name will be adjusted to accept empty dates associated with entries of Rev Code ‘0001’.
  5. Discharge Status Populated and Valid (IP/OP2014): Adjusting to allow zero filled to be treated the same as space filled (fail on Populated, exclude from Valid). This issue is due to a typo in MHDO Rule Chapter 241 that will be corrected to text in the next revision to the Rule.

Clarification on Issues Raised By Submitters During Testing

  1. Valid Attending Provider Identifier and Valid Operating Provider Identifier: Due to the large size of the NPI code list, IP/OP 8004 and IP/OP 8005, the “Details” and “Summary” results for these validations are creating system timeouts before the failure values can be returned to the Hospital Portal. We appreciate your patience while we work on a solution. In the meantime you may contact the Help Desk, if you would like us to manually pull the information for you. Please provide the file ID for which you are requesting failure information.
  2. Valid Payer Identification Number and Valid Payer Name: IP/OP 3004 and IP/OP 3006 require Payer crosswalks loaded in our system to pass. If you have not yet submitted a crosswalk or have further questions about the Payer fields, please contact the HelpDesk. Instructions are at the end of this email with some highlighted additions for clarification and a new table example.
  3. Valid Location of Service: OP4005 requires crosswalks loaded in our system to pass, if a facility is providing values in this field per the clause in Chap 241. (Hospitals with no LOS values do not need to submit an LOS list.) If you have not yet submitted a crosswalk or have further questions about Location of Service, please contact the HelpDesk.
  4. Payer and Location of Service Crosswalks: (two separate crosswalks referred to in numbers 2 & 3 above) require processing on our side to upload into the system. If you are unsure of your status with one of these, please let us know. Please refer to the clarification provided below. We will be continuing to work with Hospitals on these files even during periods where the Portal is down in preparation for Go Live.
  5. Zero Filled vs. Space Filled: Please remember to check MHDO Chapter 241 for specification of which fields are treated as Numbers for the purposes of zero fill versus space fill. Even so, there are some validations for which zero is not typically an accepted value. If you are uncertain please email us for clarification.

Validations Fixed Towards the End of Phase 4 Testing

  1. Valid DOB for Newborn Diagnosis: This validation, associated with IP/OP 2005, was identified as an issue due to incorrectly failing records, especially in cases of Newborns that returned to the hospital after their initial stay.
  2. All “Within” Validations on Date fields: An earlier correction to these validations was unintentionally rolled back and was causing failures to show up for valid dates. This issue has been fixed.
  3. Valid Revenue Center Code #2: An earlier correction to this validation on OP6111 was unintentionally rolled back and was causing failures to show up for blank values. This issue has been fixed.
  4. Diagnosis Code invalid for Patient Sex Code, Diagnosis Code invalid for Patient age 0-14, and Diagnosis Code invalid for Patient whose age is greater than 17: These three validations, for Primary Diagnosis IP/OP 7104 and Admitting Diagnosis IP7106, were causing failures on the wrong set of values. We have implemented changes that address the issue in the logic, please let us know if you encounter further issues with these validations.

Payer Cross-Walk: Instructions For Submitters

The MHDO is requiring the facilities submit to the Maine Hospital Data Portal a file consisting of four data points for each payer in the dataset. These will consist of 1) payer identification number as it exists in the patient record, 2) payer name as it exists in the patient record, 3) normalized payer name, and 4) the name of the source list. The normalized payer name must be accurate and correctly identify the payer. Table shell (headers) and examples will be provided below. The format can be either comma separated values (.CSV) or MS Excel spreadsheet (.xls or .xlsx). When using Excel, only one sheet per workbook will be allowed. Please name the file indicating it is your Payer Code list, along with your facility’s MHDO assigned ID, which data stream it is associated with and the date when you created the file to ensure accurate association for your files. At present, these files should be sent to the MHDO HelpDesk at mhdohelp@norc.org with possible future development allowing for submission directly in the MHDO Hospital Portal. Updates including any new or altered payer entries are expected to be provided prior to submitting monthly IP/OP data files that contain those values. Each payer file submitted will replace the previous file, so please ensure all potential values are included in each file.

The Payer code files from facilities will be used to determined passed status for IP3004, IP3006, OP3004, and OP3006 within Record Type 30’s validation rules in the Maine Hospital Data Portal. The submitted file will be applied to only that facilities data and will be used to aid in assignment of Payer categories in MHDO’s Hospital Encounter data release files.

Table headers:

Payer Code (Payer Identification Number) -Alphanumeric code that is submitted in hospital files as the value for field IP3004 and OP3004. These fields are formatted as Text and can be a max of 5 characters long.

Payer Name -Payer name as it exists in the patient record that is submitted in hospital files as the value for field IP3006 and OP3006. These fields are formatted as Text and can be a max of 23 characters long. Form Locator for IP3004 Primary | Secondary are UB04 50A | 50B or ASC X12N/005010A1 837/2010BB/NM1/PR/2/03 | 837/2330B/NM1/PR/2/03.

Normalized Name -A human readable standard name for a payer, such as “Aetna” or “BlueCross BlueShield”. Many hospitals have indicated that they are capturing this information from their front end registration systems and or billing systems.

Source List - Source lists may be “NAIC Company code” list, “MHDO Payer code” list, or a specific Hospital Electronic Billing Payer Codes and or the hospitals registration/billing system list that the code comes from. Blank will be accepted for the source list column, but we would appreciate receiving this information to help guide our ability to assist with hospital system transitions and standards adoption.

Payer Code (IP3004 or OP3004)
Payer Identification Number
Payer Name (IP3006 or OP3006) Normalized Name Source List
39026 ZZ WAUSAU BENEFITS IN WAUSAU INSURANCE COMPANIES/UHIS ELEC PAYER CODE
10001 MEDICAID MEDICAID MHDO PAYER CODE
20180 &S OF ILLINOIS ANTHEM MHDO PAYER CODE
20180 BD OF MI-I/P ANTHEM MHDO PAYER CODE
80624 TODAYS OPTIONSAMER PROG AMERICAN PROGRESSIVE NAIC
80624 TODAYS OPTIONSAM PROGR AMERICAN PROGRESSIVE NAIC
20180 BLUE ADVANTAGE ADMIN ANTHEM MHDO PAYER CODE
79413 EVERCARE-SOLUTIONS UNITEDHEALTHCARE INS C NAIC
94587 MEMBERS HLTH/CANCELED SELF PAY NAIC
00180 MEDICARE-A MEDICARE MHDO PAYER CODE
20180 ANTHEM MEDICARE ADVANTAGE ANTHEM MHDO PAYER CODE

Location of Service: Instructions To Submitters:

Chapter 2.A.(3)(b) specifies allowance of location codes that identify the location of Outpatient services not within the municipality of the primary hospital, when that location does not have a unique MHDO assigned ID for submitting files. Some Hospitals may want to indicate hospital departments or locations within the same municipality. Crosswalks of these codes must be submitted for use with validation of the values in field OP4005. The format can be either comma separated values (.CSV) or MS Excel spreadsheet (.xls or .xlsx). When using Excel, only one sheet per workbook will be allowed. Please name the file indicating LOS along with your facility’s MHDO assigned ID and the date when you created the file to ensure accurate association for your files.

At present, these files should be sent to the MHDO HelpDesk at mhdohelp@norc.org with possible future development allowing for submission directly in the MHDO Hospital Portal. Updates, including any new or altered entries, are expected to be provided prior to submitting monthly OP data files that contain those values. Each file submitted will replace the previous file, so please ensure all potential values are included in each file. The files from facilities will be used to determined passed status for OP4005 within Record Type 40’s validation rules in the Maine Hospital Data Portal. The submitted file will be applied to only that facility’s data and the values will be supplied to data users with MHDO’s Hospital Encounter data release files.

May 27, 2016 Update Regarding Testing Schedule in the New Hospital Data Submission Portal

The communication below was sent by the MHDO Executive Director to hospital data submitters via email May 9, 2016.

After today you will not be able to get into the system until June 1st when Phase 4 begins. One of the reasons we are not keeping the current validation report available is because we are adjusting a number of the validations to better align with the hospital data that are coming in. Some of the current errors will no longer be an issue after these adjustments are made. If there are particular validation failures that you don’t understand the results of, please let me know. Also, if you have feedback on some of the validations, please send that along. Thank you!

The communication below was sent by the MHDO Executive Director to hospital data submitters via email May 6, 2016.

Good news, as of today all hospitals have registered in the new MHDO Hospital Submission System (Portal) and many of you have successfully made it through our phase 3 testing (registration and file submission). We received great feedback from several of you through phase 3 testing and welcome more. There are however many of you that have not submitted a test file through the new portal. As such, we are going to extend the phase 3 testing period through Monday May 9th. After May 9th we will close the Portal for three weeks to work the feedback you provided into the system. We will then re-open the Portal as described below for a Phase 4 round of testing starting June 1st. NOTE: All files submitted to the Portal will be cleared between testing periods. If you did not submit a test file to the portal in Phase 3 you must submit a test file in Phase 4. During test periods, you can submit as many files as you like.

We really appreciate all your efforts. Thanks again and enjoy the weekend!

The detailed timeline and tasks are as follows:

By COB May 9th please try to:

  1. Have all users for your hospital register
  2. Update all hospital information, including NPI, Tax IDs, Addresses
  3. Prepare and submit a data file
  4. Review validation issues for your submission
  5. Ask us any questions you have about the system and validation issues by contacting the Help Desk at mhdohelp@norc.org
  6. Provide feedback on system functionality and validations by emailing the Help Desk at mhdohelp@norc.org

From May 10th - May 31st:

  1. Prepare test files for submission once Portal reopens
  2. File Format Testing still available (Phase 1 testing). Contact Dave Vincent at David.A.Vincent@maine.gov

Phase 4 Testing June 1st - June 15th:

  1. Portal reopens with prior information populated
  2. Validations updated based on feedback from Phase 3 testing
  3. Updated Help information and other documentation available
  4. Submit a data file
  5. Review validation issues for your submission
  6. Provide feedback on system functionality and validations by emailing the Help Desk at mhdohelp@norc.org

Go Live July 11th - You will be required to submit both the 3rd (if not previously submitted) and 4th quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 in the new portal by August 30, 2016.

Here is the link to the MHDO Hospital Data Portal.

April 28, 2016 The deck and recording (on YouTube) of the April 14th Phase III Testing webinar is now available.

April 21, 2016 Message from the MHDO Executive Director Re: Data Submission Timeframes and Enforcement Procedures

I have been asked by many of you to provide the following information:

  • Timeframes for data submissions once the new MHDO data submission portal is live-July 2016
  • Summary of the MHDO’s hospital data submission filing periods as defined in MHDO Rule Chapter 241, Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets
  • Summary of the MHDO’s data submission Enforcement Procedures as defined in Rule Chapter 100.

Data Submission in July 2016:

If you made the decision to hold your 3rd quarter 2015 data-meaning you did not submit your data to our previous vendor Databay, you will be required to submit both the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 in the new portal by August 30, 2016. The normal schedule of filing periods (as described in rule Chapter 241 and summarized below) will begin with the 2nd quarter 2016 filing, which is due September 30, 2016.

Data Filing Periods and Compliance Requirements:

Chapter 241, Section 3. E. Filing Periods. Each inpatient discharge record must be filed no later than 90 days following the calendar quarter in which the discharge occurred. Each outpatient service record must be filed no later than 90 days following the calendar quarter in which the service occurred.

Chapter 241, Section 7. Compliance. Except as specified below (see the rule for all the detail), the failure to file, report, or correct in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter may be considered a violation under 22 M.R.S.A. Sec. 8705-A and Code of Maine Rules 90-590, Chapter 100: Enforcement Procedures.

Enforcement Procedures:

Chapter 100 Section 3. Penalties - fines.

The MHDO Board may assess fines pursuant to 22 M.R.S.A. § 8705-A in accordance with the following schedules:

  1. A hospital that fails to file inpatient and outpatient service data and/or to meet the standards for data and the provisions for compliance as set forth in 90-590 C.M.R Chapter 241 is considered in civil violation under 22 M.R.S.A. §8705-A for which fines may be adjudged as follows:

    1. $100 per day for the first week of non-compliance;
    2. $250 per day for the second week of non-compliance;
    3. $500 per day for the third week of non-compliance; and
    4. $1,000 per day for the fourth week of non-compliance and each week thereafter, not to exceed a maximum of $25,000 per any one occurrence.

Copies of the MHDO Rules can be found at the following link: https://mhdo.maine.gov/rules.htm

I hope this information is responsive to the requests that we received for clarification. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

April 14, 2016 A webinar was held from 1:00 - 2:30pm to review the upcoming Phase 3 Testing goals, instructions and to answer any questions.

March 14, 2016 The deck and QAs of the 3/9/2016 webinar are now are available. Due to technical difficulties that webinar was not recorded.

March 1, 2016 Message from the MHDO Executive Director Re: New Hospital System Testing Phases and Timelines

In addition to the upcoming training being held on March 9th from 2:00-3:30pm covering MHDO Rule Chapter 241, we are offering three phases of testing for hospital data submitters and their Vendors prior to the launch of the new hospital system, as shown in the table below.

Phase I testing will consist of testing of the MHDO inpatient and outpatient data submission layout as defined in MHDO Rule Chapter 241 and provide instructions to preparing a test file for submission. In addition, testing of the new file name convention, file compression with encryption and file transport will also be included in this voluntary round of testing.

In order to allocate resources accordingly if you are interested in participating in the the Phase 1 testing, you must register.

Test Phase Type of Testing Timeline Participation
Phase 1: File Format/Layout Testing file layout; new file name convention; and file compression with encryption and file transport. March 10-31, 2016 Voluntary/Optional
Phase 2: Beta Beta Testing of new registration, submission and data validation system. March 21-25, 2016 Small group of selected providers
Phase 3: Full System Test Testing of new registration, submission and validation system. Revised: April 4 - May 6, 2016 Required

Remember to register for the March 9th training webinar.

February 18, 2016 Message from the MHDO Executive Director Re: Upcoming Training Webinar - March 9th

The MHDO will be conducting a training webinar Wednesday, March 9th from 2:00-3:30pm EST.
Topic: MHDO Rule Chapter 241 Uniform Reporting System For Hospital Inpatient Data Sets And Hospital Outpatient Data Sets. This is the MHDO rule that contains the requirements for filing hospital inpatient and outpatient data sets with the MHDO. Remember your files must be in the layout required by Rule Chapter 241 in order for the file to be accepted into our new system - scheduled to go live in July 2016.

Please share this information with technical staff in your organization or a vendor who is responsible for creating the hospital files.

All attendees must register for this webinar.

After your registration has been processed, you will receive instructions for joining the meeting.

Thank you and I look forward to the webinar in March.


January 13, 2016 Message from the MHDO Executive Director Re: The New Data Submission System

Please see the list of our proposed front-end outpatient validations. The spreadsheet has been structured so that where there are consistencies in the validations between inpatient and outpatient we have indicated. Hopefully this will streamline your review.

As communicated in my December 14, 2015 message, we did not receive any feedback or questions regarding the inpatient validations, so we are moving forward with the inpatient validations as proposed.

A Few Reminders Regarding the New Data Submission System:

  1. On November 18th we hosted a webinar (see the deck, recording (on YouTube), and Q&A’s from that webinar) where we described the new data submission system and validation process (slides 10-24). We strongly encourage you to forward this information to your technical vendors and/or team members who are responsible for preparing and submitting data.
  2. Please e-mail your feedback and/or questions on the proposed validations for outpatient files by February 1, 2016 to amyers@hsri.org.
  3. One of the goals of our new system is to improve the front-end data submission process for the data submitter. We believe better front-end data validations in the long run will create efficiencies for our data submitters and a higher quality data set.
  4. Please submit all historical data (defined as pre-quarter 3 of 2015) via the current system by January 31, 2016. As we have been communicating for the last several months, failure to meet this deadline will mean your data will not be included in our data sets released to data users for analysis.
  5. Below are a few reminders regarding the technical requirements of the new system. Please forward this information to the appropriate people within your organization or your technical vendors.
    1. Supported browsers:
      • Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and later
      • Mozilla Firefox 3.5 and later
      • Apple Safari 5.0 and later
      • Google Chrome 4.0 and later
    2. Minimum required browser settings:
      • Screen Resolution: Optimized for 800x600 or higher
      • JavaScript: Required
      • Cookies: Required
      • Security: SSL/Certificate required for access to restricted resources
      • Internet Explorer Compatibility View: Turn Off
    3. Email Notifications
      • The MHDO Data Warehouse Portal will send email notifications regarding registration, file submissions, etc. to users.
      • Please ask your company to whitelist or approve the MHDO Data Warehouse Portal email address (portal@mhdo.maine.gov) in their spam filters.
    4. Encryption and Compression
      • To ensure the security of personally identifiable information and personal health information, and to reduce file transmission times, MHDO will require submitters to compress and encrypt all files before uploading.
      • Compression and encryption can be accomplished by a number of industry standard tools, such as WinZip or 7-Zip, many of which may already be in use at your workplace.
      • Each file that is to be uploaded to the MHDO Data Warehouse Portal should be added to a separate zip archive.
      • The archive MUST be encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption using the submitter’s unique encryption password provided in the MHDO Data Warehouse Portal.

As always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at Karynlee.harrington@maine.gov.


December 14, 2015 Message from the MHDO Executive Director Re: The New Data Submission System

Below are updates on several key activities regarding the new data submission system which will be launched next summer.

  • List of proposed front end Inpatient validations. On November 12th we distributed the proposed list of inpatient validations. We did not receive any feedback or questions by the December 4th deadline so we will be proceeding with the validations as proposed.
  • List of proposed front end Outpatient validations. We will be distributing the proposed list of outpatient validations for your review the week of December 21st and ask that any questions or feedback be provided by January 7th.
  • Questions regarding ICD-10. Last month we asked you to respond to several questions regarding the transition to ICD-10. As a result of that feedback the validations for diagnosis codes will follow CMS’s first year grace period. We will validate the family only (not the specificity) until the grace period defined by CMS expires.

As a reminder, on November 18th we hosted a webinar (see the deck and recording below) where we described the new data submission system and validation process (slides 10-24). We strongly encourage you to forward this information to your technical vendors and or team members who are responsible for preparing and submitting data.

Remember one of the goals of our new system is to improve the front end data submission process for the data submitter. We believe better front end data validations in the long run will create efficiencies for our data submitters and a higher quality data set.

As always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at Karynlee.harrington@maine.gov. Thank you. Karynlee

November 30, 2015 The deck and recording (on YouTube) of the 11/18/15 webinar and now are available.

Also available are the Q&A’s from the 11/18/15 webinar including responses to questions that were not answered at that time.

As a reminder we are also looking for your feedback on the draft validations for inpatient files distributed on November 10th. Please review and provide any feedback or questions by December 4, 2015 to kmullins@hsri.org.

November 12, 2015 Important Information Re: The New Data Submission Ssystem - Proposed Validation Rules & November 18th Training Webinar

This is a reminder that in less than 8 months our new hospital data submission system will be live-July 2016. There are three key points in this communication: 1. Upcoming Webinar and registration; 2. List of proposed front end validations; 3. Questions regarding ICD-10 – your responses will help us determine the best course of action re the ICD-10 validations in our new system.

1. Upcoming Webinar and registration. To help prepare you for this change we are hosting a training webinar on November 18th from 1:00-2:30pm. You must register for the webinar. We strongly encourage you to forward the registration link to your technical vendors and or team members that are responsible for preparing and submitting data.

The agenda for the training session is as follows:

  • Review of the new data submission process which includes the data validation process
  • Review of MHDO Rule Chapter 241 (files that are not in the layout as described in Rule Chapter 241 will not get through the new system)
  • Review of Timelines and Next Steps
  • Open for Q&A

2. List of proposed front end validations. On May 20th we hosted a webinar (see the deck) where we described the new data submission system and validation process (pages 19-33). Please review the listing of our proposed data submission validations for the inpatient files.

As we discussed in May we are providing you with the opportunity to review these validations with your vendors and or internal teams. Please ask questions and or provide feedback to kmullins@hsri.org by December 4th.

Remember one of the goals of our new system is to improve the front end data submission process for the data submitter. We believe better front end data validations in the long run will create efficiencies for our data submitters and a higher quality data set.

3. Questions regarding ICD-10. Transition to ICD-10-The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services (CMS) announced over the summer an ICD-10-CM grace period for the first year. Officials stated, "For 12 months after ICD-10 implementation, Medicare review contractors will not deny physician or other practitioner claims billed under the Part B physician fee schedule through either automated medical review or complex medical record review based solely on the specificity of the ICD-10 diagnosis code as long as the physician/practitioner used a Code from the right family. However, a valid ICD-10 Code will be required on all claims starting on October 1, 2015."

Although Medicare is providing this grace period, other payers are not obligated to do so and many are not.

Please e-mail kmullins@hsri.org by November 20th with your responses to the following questions:

  • Will you be utilizing the grace period defined by CMS?
  • Do you have any special arrangements with other payers?

Your responses to these questions will help us decide how best to validate ICD-10. The two options are currently:

  1. Validate the full specificity and allow submitters to override the issue by providing a reason/justification
  2. Validate the family only until the grace period defined by CMS expires

I look forward to the November 18th webinar. As always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at Karynlee.harrington@maine.gov

October 27, 2015 Message from the MHDO Executive Director Re: the New System & the Submission of Q3 Hospital Data

In August I sent a communication to you all regarding the transition to the new system, but after speaking with several of you, we have made revisions. The original message and revisions are below:

Original Message (first bullet):

  • Your July, August, and September (Q3 2015) data will be the last set of data submitted to the current Databay Check system. Your Q3 2015 data (and any other outstanding data) must be submitted to Databay and in a passed status (meaning fully corrected and transmitted) by December 31, 2015. The Databay Check system will not accept data after this date. Data not received by December 31, 2015 will not be included in our database. Any missing or incomplete data will be noted in the documentation released to data users.

Revision:

  1. You have the option to submit your Q3 2015 inpatient and outpatient hospital data to Databay as described above or you may hold your Q3 2015 data until we begin accepting submissions in the new system. Remember, the new system will require that your file layout complies with Rule Chapter 241. A copy of the current Rule Chapter 241 along with the Proposed Rule Chapter 241- which was recently approved by the MHDO Board and is in its final review stage can be found on our Statutes and Rules page: https://mhdo.maine.gov/rules.htm.
  2. All outstanding historical data (which is defined as Pre Q3 2015) must be submitted to Databay and in a passed status (meaning fully corrected and transmitted) by January 31, 2016. Data not received by January 31, 2016 will not be included in our database. Any missing or incomplete data will be noted in the documentation released to our data users.

Original Message (second bullet):

  • Submissions to our new system will begin in July 2016 with the submission of Q4 2015 and Q1 2016 data due by August 31, 2016.

Revision:

  1. The modification to this bullet is if you chose to hold your Q3 2015 submission you will include Q3 2015 in your first submission via the new system.

I hope the revisions address the feedback we have received. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Philippe Bonneau with any questions. Look forward to our upcoming webinar November 18th. If you have not registered please do so at your earliest convenience.


New - October 21, 2015 Message from the MHDO Executive Director RE: An Upcoming Training Session on New Data Submission Portal

On May 20th of this year the MHDO and its vendor, HSRI, hosted a webinar to announce plans for the development of our new hospital data submission system. We also reviewed the results from the hospital data submitter survey we had sent out to all hospitals and the timelines and what it all means for you as a submitter of hospital data to the MHDO.

Since the webinar we have e-mailed our hospital contacts two updates regarding the transition to our new data submission portal. We have also created a smaller group of hospital data submitters and users to work with us more closely on a number of issues that will impact the design and implementation of the new system.

Based on feedback we have received from many of you the MHDO and HSRI will host a training webinar on November 18th from 1:00-2:30pm. You must register for the webinar.

The agenda for the training session is as follows:

  • Review of the new data submission process which includes the data validation process
  • Review of MHDO Rule Chapter 241 (files that are not in the layout as described in Rule Chapter 241 will not get through the new system)
  • Review of Timelines and Next Steps
  • Open for Q&A

Below are several questions and our responses to issues regarding the new system. This is the type of detail we will be discussing on this webinar. We encourage you to invite your IT vendors to join this training session. The session will be recorded for future reference.

Question 1:  How will missing/incorrect data elements be fixed in the new MHDO application?
If missing/incorrect data elements cause a validation to fail, the data submitter will have the option to address the issue in their data system and resubmit or to override the issue. The steps required to override a validation issue will depend on the rule’s issue type (Profile, Exemption, Ad Hoc). Data submitters will not have the option to edit or correct data within the system.

Question 2:   If the formatting is correct but data elements are missing/incorrect will MHDO reject the entire file and require the hospital to produce a new corrected file?
Not necessarily. If the file passes all structural validation rules, it will be evaluated against the rest of the data validation rules. If any of the Profile or Ad Hoc rules fail, the submitter must provide a justification for an override or resubmit a corrected file. If an Exemption-level rule fails, MHDO can approve a submitter’s request for override or reject it and require resubmission. Additionally, a rule will only fail if the elements are missing/incorrect for less than X% of the records, as identified in the Threshold column of the validation rules. For example, the ICD-9 validation below will pass if 90% of the records in the file meet the criterion. If the validation fails, the data submitter will have the option to override the issue by providing a reason they are unable to meet the threshold.

Rule ID Effective Element Number Element Name Validation Rule Name Validity Criteria Threshold Issue Type
113 Jul-16 IP7033 Admitting Diagnosis Code Valid Admitting Diagnosis For inpatient claims, a valid entry means that the admitting diagnosis is on the list of ICD-9 diagnosis Codes. 90.00% Profile

Question 3:   Will there be opportunity for correction once the file is submitted to MHDO?
There will be no opportunity to correct or edit files once they are submitted. If fields/validation fail data submitters will have the opportunity to address the issue in their data system and resubmit or override the issue.


August 28, 2015 New Data Submission System Reminders - Q3 2015 Hospital Data Submission Deadline

Email from Karynlee Harrington August 21, 2015 :

I am writing to remind you that over the next 12 months the MHDO is developing its new hospital data submission system. If you were unable to attend the webinar held in May regarding this transition here is a copy of the deck as well as a recording (on YouTube) of that meeting.

There are a few important dates to highlight:

  • Your July, August, and September (Q3 2015) data will be the last set of data submitted to the current Databay Check system. Your Q3 2015 data (and any other outstanding data) must be submitted to Databay and in a passed status (meaning fully corrected and transmitted) by December 31, 2015. The Databay Check system will not accept data after this date. Data not received by December 31, 2015 will not be included in our database. Any missing or incomplete data will be noted in the documentation released to data users.
  • Submissions to our new system will begin in July 2016 with the submission of Q4 2015 and Q1 2016 data due by August 31, 2016.

Below is a summary of key dates for the transition to our new data submission system:

Task Start Date End Date
MHDO recommends changes to Board Re: Chapter 241.
Anticipated effective date of changes January 1, 2016 data submission
7/1/2015 11/1/2015
Communication from MHDO Re: Proposed and Approved Changes to Chapter 241 7/1/2015 11/30/2015
Communication from MHDO Re: Draft and Final Data Validations (Note: a copy of the proposed validations will be released for review 9/30/15) 7/1/2015 9/30/2015
Final data submission to current system (Databay Check) - Q3 2015 Data 10/1/2015 12/31/2015
Communication from MHDO Re: Beta Testing of new system 2/1/2016 3/31/2016
Communication from MHDO Re: Testing by All Hospitals 3/1/2016 4/30/2016
Hospitals test new MHDO Submission Portal with the Submission of Q4 2015 Data 4/1/2016 4/30/2016
Communication from MHDO Re: Training and Launch 6/1/2016 7/11/2016
New MHDO Hospital Submission Portal Go Live 7/11/2016 7/11/2016
Communication from MHDO Re: Satisfaction Survey 1/2/2017 1/31/2017

We will also periodically post updates on the website. Lastly, if you have any questions or concerns about what is being proposed please contact us by emailing webcontact.mhdo@maine.gov and indicating in the subject line that you are a hospital data submitter. Thank you. Karynlee

June 17, 2015

As a reminder, the submission of ICD-10 codes will start with the submission of Q4 2015 data- which will be submitted through the new MHDO Hospital Submission Portal. If you are interested in testing your file format prior to the migration to the new submission system, MHDO has an ICD-10 testing period open now. This is not required, but being offered if hospitals are interested.

Below are several key tasks and dates for the transition to our new data submission portal. We will periodically post updates.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns by emailing webcontact.mhdo@maine.gov and indicating in the subject line that you are a hospital data submitter or feel free to contact Karynlee Harrington directly at Karynlee.Harrington@maine.gov.

Task Start Date End Date
MHDO recommends changes to Board Re: Chapter 241.
Anticipated effective date of changes January 1, 2016 data submission
7/16/2015 11/1/2015
Communication from MHDO Re: Proposed Data Validations 7/1/2015 9/30/2015
Final data submission to current system (Databay Check) - Q3 2015 Data 10/1/2015 12/31/2015
Communication from MHDO Re: Beta Testing of new system 2/1/2016 3/31/2016
Communication from MHDO Re: Testing by All Hospitals 3/1/2016 4/30/2016
Hospitals test new MHDO Submission Portal with the Submission of Q4 2015 Data 4/1/2016 4/30/2016
Communication from MHDO Re: Training and Launch 6/1/2016 7/11/2016
New MHDO Hospital Submission Portal Go Live 7/11/2016 7/11/2016
Communication from MHDO Re: Satisfaction Survey 1/2/2017 1/31/2017

April 2015 - Hospital Data Submitters Group Established

In 2012 the MHDO Board of Directors took action in response to feedback received from data submitters and end users regarding the operations of the Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO). As a result of the Board action the MHDO has been working on restructuring its internal operations, systems and processes to better serve the needs of our customers – both data submitters and data users. Our vision is to be a data provider to our clients and the public that is:

  • Responsive and timely: clearly communicating to our clients what data are available and managing data release to published timeframes
  • Accurate: ensure consistency and conformity of claims submissions
  • Accessible: providing self‐service applications where possible and removing barriers to data access.
  • Streamlined: building efficient processes for data gathering and release.
  • Secure: protecting the confidentiality of personal health data – electronic threats change and systems must adapt to meet these challenges.

To achieve these goals, the MHDO is building upon its existing systems to take advantage of newer technologies better suited to meet the changing needs of the market.

We have spent the last 18 months working on our new portal for the submission of claims data that we receive from the health plans. We are now ready to turn our attention to working on the system for how hospital data is submitted to the MHDO – Our goal is to streamline and improve the existing data submission process. As part of this work we will be reviewing and updating MHDO Rule Chapter 241-Uniform Reporting System for Hospital Inpatient Data Sets and Hospital Outpatient Data Sets, to align more closely with national standards. The MHDO is committed to the active involvement of our hospital data submitters throughout the design, development, and deployment process of the new system.

Meeting Notifications:

None at this time

May 20, 2015 Webinar was held 1:00 - 2:00 pm

The webinar discussed the status of our new data submission system, results from the hospital data submitter survey, timelines and what it all means for you as a submitter of hospital data. Documents from the meeting:

May 8, 2015 Additional ICD-10 Testing Information

Message from Karynlee Harrington, Acting Executive Director

In an earlier message we sent out in March we indicated that our ICD 10 testing will check fields for format and if it’s as expected, fields will then be validated against a table containing ICD-10 code values. We wanted to expand on the goals of the testing as described below:

  1. Verify that a file with the same name and version has not already been received
  2. Check file name for proper formation and information
  3. Check line length of each line in file
  4. Header and Footer
    1. Check for presence
    2. Verify data parses correctly
    3. Verify correct and complete information
  5. Verify that at the encounter level, ICD-9 and ICD-10 are mutually exclusive
  6. Verify fields parse correctly and values are properly formed
  7. Validate ICD-10 and/or ICD-9 against current standard reference tables

Below are instruction on how to name and submit a test file to Databay:

  • There is a special file naming convention employed for this test cycle:
    • ICDTEST + UNDERSCORE (_) + SIX DIGIT MHDO ASSIGNED IDENTIFIER (EIN) + UNDERSCORE (_) + TYPE OF FILE (I,O,P,R) + UNDERSCORE (_) + VERSION (v1, v2, v3...) + EXTENSION (.txt)
  • Your file name should look something like the following: ICDTEST_200000_I_v1.txt
  • Once you have named your file correctly you must:
    • log into the DataBay system
    • choose a facility
    • choose Calendar 2015, 4th Quarter as the Quarter
    • Select First Run as the Run Type
    • Click on Browse… to locate your file on your local file system
    • Click on the Check Button. Once clicked, the system will automatically transmit your file to MHDO for review. No further action required.
    • Results of the review/test will be emailed to the submitter within five business days of submission.

Questions about the ICD 10 testing process should be directed to david.a.vincent@maine.gov.

In an effort to assure that we have the correct e-mail addresses of those responsible for the submission of the test file, please e-mail Linda Adams at linda.adams@maine.gov with your contact information as soon as possible.

Lastly to improve the process for everyone, answers of general interest will be sent to all testers and posted on the MHDO website. Thank you for your interest in testing.

April 28, 2015
Message from the Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO)
  • Save the Date – May 20, 2015
  • For: Webinar
  • Topic: Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO)
  • Time: 1:00-2:00pm

Please join us Wednesday, May 20th for a webinar presentation where we will discuss the status of our new data submission system, results from the hospital data submitter survey, timelines and what it all means for you as a submitter of hospital data. We will send an e-mail notification within the next few weeks with a copy of the agenda, deck and log in instructions.

April 8, 2015 ICD-10 Testing Plans

Message from Karynlee Harrington, Acting Executive Director

Last week we sent an e-mail to our hospital data submitters describing at a high level the upcoming improvements/enhancements that we will be making over the next 15 months as we build a new system for the submission of hospital data to the MHDO (planned go live date is July 2016). As we indicated in our e-mail we are planning a webinar the end of May to describe in detail our plans and share your feedback from our survey.

In the interim, I wanted to reach out to you regarding the transition to ICD-10. Many of you have asked about testing the new ICD-10 codes in our current system. We will be opening up a testing period mid-May for ICD-10 data submitted to our current vendor- Databay. Testing will first check fields for format and if it’s as expected, fields will then be validated against a table containing ICD-10 code values. Results of the tests will be emailed to the submitter within five business days of submission.

If you are interested in participating in the ICD-10 testing, please e-mail linda.adams@Maine.gov by April 24th. We will send a separate communication with additional details to those entities that sign up to test.

Please let me know if you have any questions and or concerns. Look forward to connecting with you in May. Karynlee

Prior Meeting Dates and Documents

None at this time.