(a) The department may collect, and, except as provided by Subsection (d), providers shall submit to the department or another entity as determined by the department, all data required by this section. The data shall be collected according to uniform submission formats, coding systems, and other technical specifications necessary to make the incoming data substantially valid, consistent, compatible, and manageable using electronic data processing, if available.
(b) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules to implement the data submission requirements imposed by Subsection (a) in appropriate stages to allow for the development of efficient systems for the collection and submission of the data. A rule adopted by the executive commissioner that requires submission of a data element that, before adoption of the rule, was not required to be submitted may not take effect before the 90th day after the date the rule is adopted and must take effect not later than the first anniversary after the date the rule is adopted.

(c) The department or another entity as determined by the department to collect data from a provider under Subsection (a) shall maintain a database that does not include identifying information for use as authorized by law, including this chapter.
(d) The department may not collect data from individual physicians or from an entity that is composed entirely of physicians and that is a professional association organized under the former Texas Professional Association Act (Article 1528f, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes) or formed under the Texas Professional Association Law, as described by § 1.008(l), Business Organizations Code, a limited liability partnership organized under former Section 3.08, Texas Revised Partnership Act (Article 6132b-3.08, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes), or formed as described by Subchapter J, Chapter 152, Business Organizations Code, or a limited liability company organized under the former Texas Limited Liability Company Act (Article 1528n, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes) or formed under the Texas Limited Liability Company Law, as described by § 1.008(e), Business Organizations Code, except to the extent the entity owns and operates a health care facility in this state. This subsection does not prohibit the release of data about physicians using uniform physician identifiers that has been collected from a health care facility under this chapter.
(e) The department shall establish the single collection point for receipt of data from providers. With the approval of the executive commissioner, the department may transfer collection of any data required to be collected by the department under any other law to the statewide health care data collection system.
(f) The executive commissioner may not require providers to submit data more frequently than quarterly, but providers may submit data on a more frequent basis.
(g) The department shall coordinate data collection with the data collection formats used by federally qualified health centers. To satisfy the requirements of this chapter:
(1) a federally qualified health center shall submit annually to the department a copy of the Medicaid cost report of federally qualified health centers; and
(2) a provider receiving federal funds under 42 U.S.C. § 254b or 254c shall submit annually to the department a copy of the Uniform Data System data report developed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
(h) The department shall coordinate data collection with the data submission formats used by hospitals and other providers. The department shall accept data in the format developed by the American National Standards Institute or its successor or other nationally accepted standardized forms that hospitals and other providers use for other complementary purposes.
(i) The executive commissioner shall develop by rule reasonable alternate data submission procedures for providers that do not possess electronic data processing capacity.
(k) The department shall collect health care data elements relating to payer type, the racial and ethnic background of patients, and the use of health care services by consumers. The department shall prioritize data collection efforts on inpatient and outpatient surgical and radiological procedures from hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and free-standing imaging centers.
(m) To the extent feasible, the department shall obtain from public records the information that is available from those records.
(o) A provider of a health benefit plan shall annually submit to the department aggregate data by service area required by the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) as operated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The department may approve the submission of data in accordance with other methods generally used by the health benefit plan industry. If the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set does not generally apply to a health benefit plan, the department shall require submission of data in accordance with other methods. This subsection does not relieve a health care facility that provides services under a health benefit plan from the requirements of this chapter. Information submitted under this section is subject to § 108.011 but is not subject to § 108.010.