State Plans Patient Database
Mississippi Health Officer Outlines Statewide Health Data Utility Plan
State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney told the State Board of Health the state plans a data system linking patient records, imaging and billing information under state governance.
At the Mississippi State Board of Health's quarterly meeting on Oct. 14, 2026, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney outlined plans for a statewide health data utility that would link electronic health records from every provider, a centralized trauma-imaging repository and all-payer billing data. "The vendor vendors will build it, vendors will administer it, the state of Mississippi will govern it, and those will all be conversations that we're having with legislative leadership on how that needs to look," Edney said.
He said the project is funded through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program and is currently in a procurement period, with details on governance and legislation still being worked out with legislative leaders.
The plan would link records across every provider statewide, along with trauma imaging and billing data from all payers, raising questions about who controls access to Mississippians' health information and how vendors would be chosen. Pairing state governance with private vendor construction and administration touches on broader questions about the scope of state authority over personal data, regardless of the program's intended benefits.