HCMACS Connect Program

The Health Care Authority (HCA) is participating in the Health Care Management and Coordination System (HCMACS) enterprise electronic health record (EHR) implementation to enhance health care services for providers and patients. Learn about the background of the Connect Program and next steps.

On this page

Purpose

Washington’s Apple Health (Medicaid) population of nearly 2 million members frequently use services provided by HCA, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and the Department of Corrections (DOC). HCA will use the HCMACS Enterprise EHR solution which is comprised of Epic Health systems with shared governance and resources to support this population. As part of the HCMACS rollout, HCA will be offering Epic Connect to Apple Health (Medicaid) providers in Q3 of 2027.

This will improve health care coordination between providers and allow the state to provide high-quality care more effectively for Apple Health clients being served by community providers.

The HCMACS Connect Program will allow improvements in areas such as:

  • Infant case management.
  • Maternity support services.
  • Long-term care and support services.
  • Behavioral health.
  • Tribal health.
  • Prior authorization.
  • Utilization management.
  • And more.

Model and functionality

Contracted providers will have access to the HCMACS Enterprise EHR Epic platform via the HCMACS Connect Program. This model allows smaller health care organizations to access the full capabilities of the HCMACS Epic EHR system.

This model enables several benefits, including:

  • Improved patient care through streamlined workflows.
  • Enhanced data access.
  • Strong interoperability with other health care systems.
  • Robust reporting and analytics capabilities.
  • Highly customizable solutions.
  • Patient engagement features through a patient portal.
  • Reduced administrative tasks by facilitating seamless data exchange between different. departments within a health care organization.

This solution allows data to be seamlessly shared between providers using similar and dissimilar systems. The extent of data sharing capabilities will vary from system to system. Using the same enterprise EHR exponentially improves information sharing and care delivery.

HCA intends to implement HCMACS Connect with identified providers in cohorts. The initial cohort will be focused on Indian health care providers, behavioral health and substance use disorder (SUD) providers. Additional cohorts will include rural hospitals, jails, long-term care, and crisis responders. Providers will be prioritized based on Apple Health clients supported.

Next steps

The HCMACS Connect Program is currently focused on engagement with Indian health care providers and behavioral health providers to assess needs, identify requirements, outline readiness activities, and finalize contracts. This program works closely with the HCMACS Program and other projects.

Implementation work will kick off in Q2 2026. HCA providers will go live with the system Q3 2027. For more information on the efforts and timeline, check out the HCMACS Enterprise EHR Roadmap.

Contact

Email: HCMACS Connect Program