Two new final rules related to the exchange of health information and interoperability of systems have been released in pre-publication versions.
The first, from HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) implements the interoperability requirements established in the 21st Century Cures Act and includes the following:
- Mandated medical record data exchanges via application programming interfaces
- Updated health IT certification criteria and conditions of certification
- Definition of information blocking and new prohibitions
- Finalized deregulatory actions from previous rulemaking
The second, from CMS, creates several new interoperability requirements for health plans designed to allow patients greater access to their personal health information, including automated access through third-party applications. The final rule includes provisions related to the following:
- Standardized API support
- Data exchange between payers
- Electronic notification standards
- Better care coordination for Medicare/Medicaid dual-eligibles
- Measures to expose providers that engage in information blocking
The attached paper provides detailed explanations of the provisions in the two final rules, both of which have aggressive timelines. For more information, please click here.
