​HIO Connection

eHealth Information for Providers

Connection and Certification Requirements for Health Information Organizations

The Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership is responsible, under Act 76 of 2016, for the creation and maintenance of Pennsylvania's secure health information exchange, known as the PA Patient & Provider Network, or P3N. How does it work? The P3N improves and coordinates patient care by helping providers to find their patients' medical records — in real time — anywhere on the P3N network. Providers connect to P3N through a certified regional network called a health information organization, or HIO.

An HIO interested in connecting to P3N must be certified with the Department of Human Services' eHealth Partnership. To qualify for certification, the HIO must enable exchange between at least two unaffiliated provider and/or payer (private or public) organizations, and enable users to satisfy health information exchange-related Meaningful Use requirements, if applicable.

An HIO seeking eHealth Partnership certification should review the P3N Application for Participation, P3N policies, P3N technical requirements, and the participation agreement (PAR) below. By signing and returning the PAR to the eHealth Partnership, your HIO is attesting compliance with the certification requirements. Upon receiving the signed PAR from your HIO, the eHealth Partnership will provide you with additional documents related to connecting to P3N.

• P3N Application for Participation (version 4c, effective January 1, 2024)
• Participation Agreement (PAR) (version 4d, effective January 1, 2024)
• Appendix A - P3N Technical Requirements (version 4d, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 1 - Terms and Definitions (version 4c, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 2 - Documentation Change Management (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 3 - Certification Policy and Process (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 4 - User Management (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 5 - Privacy (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 6 - Auditing (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 7 - Data and Privacy Breach (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 8 - Reporting (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 9 - HIE Trust Community Commitee Participation (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024) 
• P3N Policy 10 - Security (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
• P3N Policy 11 - Downtime Notification (version 4b, effective January 1, 2024)
  
• HIO Fee Model and Schedule (updated March 2023)
  

If your HIO is interested in becoming a certified P3N participant, or if you need additional information about the P3N, please email RA-PAEHEALTH@pa.gov.