(a) The department shall allow and provide for, in accordance with appropriate regulations, additions or deletions to the patient level data elements listed in subdivision (g) of Section 128735, Section 128736, and Section 128737, to meet the purposes of this chapter.

(b) Prior to any additions or deletions, all of the following shall be considered:

(1) Utilization of sampling to the maximum extent possible.

(2) Feasibility of collecting data elements.

(3) Costs and benefits of collection and submission of data.

(4) Exchange of data elements as opposed to addition of data elements.

(c) The department shall add no more than a net of 15 elements to each data set over any five-year period. Elements contained in the uniform claims transaction set or uniform billing form required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. § 300gg) shall be exempt from the 15-element limit.

(d) The department, in order to minimize costs and administrative burdens, shall consider the total number of data elements required from hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgery clinics, and optimize the use of common data elements.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 203. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)