CMS's new framework sounds like a gentle opt-in. There’s no requirement to meet every standard on day one, just a commitment to work toward doing the right thing. That sounds great. But to actually participate in the network, you have to meet a baseline level of interoperability.
The Social Security Administration’s move onto the TEFCA interoperability framework is beginning to streamline disability determinations by enabling faster exchange of medical records from hospitals. Dr. David Kaelber, chief health informatics officer at MetroHealth System in Ohio, said the shift is replacing a months-long, fax-driven process with near real-time data sharing.
Healthcare payments are no longer about transactions. It’s about controlling the revenue cycle. And increasingly, that control is not sitting with ISOs.
Health data company Health Gorilla filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Epic and several healthcare providers alleging inappropriate access to nearly 300,000 patient records. The case highlights ongoing questions about governance and standards for national health data sharing, with Health Gorilla arguing the dispute should be handled through interoperability networks’ internal processes rather than in federal court.
Epic’s lawsuit against Health Gorilla is less about one alleged data misuse scheme and more about a deeper fault line in healthcare interoperability: data can move faster than the rules governing it. Experts say this problem could force the industry to redefine the boundaries of access, accountability and trust in data sharing.
Experts say the fallout from HHS’ restructuring could set public health efforts back by decades by dismantling critical infrastructure. It’s also important to note that these changes cast serious doubt on the future of interoperability, pointed out Jason Prestinario, CEO of data platform Particle Health.
Clearinghouses are just one great example of how the enhanced exchange of healthcare data can increase efficiency for healthcare providers and the greater healthcare community.
By reducing administrative burden and redesigning workflows around human needs, it creates space for what matters most: connection between clinicians and patients.
This week, HHS issued its HTI-2 proposal — a new proposed rule to improve healthcare data sharing among providers, payers, patients and public health organizations. It comes just seven months after HHS issued its HTI-1 rule.
Jill DeGraff, B.well Connected Health’s senior vice president of regulatory, believes the ONC’s new HTI-1 rule is a step in the right direction that will improve data exchange for providers, health tech vendors and patients. She applauded the rule for preserving TEFCA as a voluntary framework and for establishing FHIR-based interoperability as the industry’s de facto standard.
Beginning September 1, HHS’ Office of the Inspector General will begin enforcing the anti-information blocking regulations laid out in the 21st Century Cures Act. EHR vendors are the entities that are most at risk of being fined — they could face penalties up to $1 million.
The OIG recently added some teeth to the anti-information blocking regulations laid out in the 21st Century Cures Act. The office finalized penalties, including fines of up to $1 million for health IT companies found blocking the electronic flow of health data. Interoperability expert Troy Bannister said that these fines are a good starting point for ensuring greater interoperability, but he isn’t too sure the OIG will be able to effectively enforce them.
In an interview, Kyan Health Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer Konstantin Struck discussed how Kyan gives mid-market and enterprise employers access to premium workforce mental healthcare, at a price point that is affordable.
More than half of technology leaders at the country’s top 50 health systems by net patient revenue said they’re investing more money into interoperability initiatives in 2023 than they did last year, according to a new report. Participating in health information exchanges is a key way that health systems strengthen their interoperability strategy.
New Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) regulations promote innovation, interoperability and the free flow of data. Americans have demanded more transparency in healthcare for decades, and finally, there are governing bodies in place to support it.
As plans struggle to decide how to comply with a badly-worded portion of the final rule on interoperability, they should be thinking about the broader changes at work and whether their choices now prepare them for the world ahead.
The ONC has released the new version of the United States Core Data for Interoperability, a set of standards to enable seamless data exchange nationwide. The updated set includes standards for exchanging data related to social determinants of health, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Healthcare interoperability is evolving, but it is not keeping pace with industry needs. New federal and state policies, as well as advancements in technology, that focus on data management will be needed to push interoperability forward.