Washington Community Information Exchange (WA CIE) Newsletter

August 27, 2026

Approaching the first stop: initial release of WA CIE

The Washington Community Information Exchange (WA CIE) train is preparing for the first stop, initial release of WA CIE, in summer 2027. But what does that mean?

The initial release of WA CIE will include the core technology capabilities needed to support information sharing, along with a governance model to guide decisions and oversight.



WA CIE will initially focus on supporting the implementation of health-related social needs (HRSN) screening and referral services under Washington State’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver, known as the Medicaid Transformation Project 2.0 (MTP 2.0).

Meeting statewide community health needs requires a regional, collaborative, and coordinated presence that no single clinic or agency can do alone. An Accountable Community of Health (ACH) is a regional “home base” where health care providers, social service providers, and community members work together to improve health and well-being.

The first WA CIE users will be the nine Community Care Hubs (CCHs) of Washington—operated by their regional ACH—and their regional partner networks.

HRSN screening and referral services are offered via the regional CCHs. The CCHs, along with local community-based organizations and managed care organizations, have worked together for years to co-develop care coordination infrastructures, including data sharing. These efforts provide a foundation for advancing a statewide approach to data sharing through WA CIE, connecting the CCHs to each other for a more seamless experience of care.



While the initial release will focus on support for CCHs, the goal is to expand WA CIE in subsequent phases to other use cases and other programs both within and outside of Washington Apple Health (Medicaid). HCA is working with Tribal partners with the goal of establishing a statewide Native Hub, which may also connect to WA CIE. We’ll share more details on future cohorts in coming months. 

What we've done to prepare

• Began community engagement and communications to gather input into WA CIE governance and technology needs

• Formed topical workgroups on data, technology, and policy
• Established governance structures
• Finalized requirements for WA CIE technology

Our learnings from these collaborative activities have resulted in three documents that form the foundation of WA CIE:

Co-Designing Washington Community Information Exchange: Key Insights From User Research

This document shares key insights that were gathered from the WA CIE team's engagement with communities between March and June 2026 in user research to understand what trusted information sharing looks like, where there are barriers to coordinating care, and what the path forward should be.

WA CIE Technology Concept of Operations

This Concept of Operations (ConOps) document provides a high-level overview of how WA CIE technology will support coordination of health and social services delivery. The ConOps serves as a blueprint that guides the approach, requirements, and design for the technology infrastructure needed to effectively support communities across the state. Key insights from the community were used by the Lead Organization (LO) Comagine Health and the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) to develop the ConOps document along with support from the WA CIE Interim Advisory Committee (IAC), and Interim Data and Technical Advisory (IDATA) Workgroup.

WA CIE Governance Structure

This document provides a framework for how WA CIE is directed, managed, and held accountable. It defines the purpose and core functions of the governance structure, outlines the relationships among governing and advisory bodies, and clarifies member roles and responsibilities. The WA CIE governance is founded on a collaborative approach, bringing together HCA, the LO, and the advisory board and its standing committees to support shared decision-making, strategic alignment, and effective oversight. This document was created with support from the IAC and is grounded in community feedback.



We encourage you to read these documents to learn more about where WA CIE is heading. We would like to share our sincere gratitude to those involved in their development. 

Where we're headed: 
vendor partner request for proposal

On September 14, 2026, WA CIE will release a request for proposal (RFP) to select a vendor partner to help develop and implement the statewide CIE platform. The vendor partner will design, develop, implement, and support WA CIE’s foundational capabilities, including:

• Care coordination
• Client identity management
• Client records
• Consent management
• Identity and access management
• Interoperability
• Referral management
• Reporting and analytics
• Resource directory

We encourage interested vendors to sign up for the WA CIE Procurement Mailing List to receive updates, RFP announcements, and responses to vendor questions. We’ll hold a virtual pre-proposal bidders conference on September 8, 2026, at 1 p.m. PT and share the recording afterward for those unable to attend. Register for the WA CIE RFP Pre-Proposal Conference here.

Advisory Groups

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

We developed the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in response to questions and feedback from community members across the state. We’ll continue to update it to address common questions and provide consistent, current information.

We want to connect with you!

Let us know if you have questions, comments, or ideas for activities to engage with communities across Washington about the CIE. Please send us an email or send a message through the WA CIE Public Input Box.

Spread the word—share the sign-up link for this newsletter.

Additionally, the CIE team is available to speak to organizations, professional societies, community groups, and others about the CIE. Please send us an email to get started.