Even amidst the chaos of a global pandemic, this year multiple U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies have dialed in on promoting and enforcing patients’ rights to access their health information. In just the past month, HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the agency that enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability … Continue Reading
Following more than a month of silence from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the publication of its widely anticipated companion interoperability and information blocking final rules to the Federal Register, HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued eagerly anticipated and hotly debated companion interoperability and information blocking final rules that are expected to transform the way in which certain health care providers, health information technology (IT) developers, and health plans share patient information. The two rules, issued by the HHS Office of … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) started the new decade by keeping up its momentum to encourage patient engagement and support the secure expansion of digital health by releasing proposed rules and policy initiatives. On January 15, 2020, the HHS Office for the National Coordinator for Health Informational Technology (ONC) released a … Continue Reading
Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would extend until June 3, 2019 the comment periods for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) proposed interoperability and information blocking rules. CMS also announced that as a result … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology has released a draft trusted exchange framework that proposes policies, procedures, and technical standards to further Congressionally-mandated efforts to establish a nationwide, interoperable health system under the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. Currently, there are dozens of Health Information Networks (HINs) that operate … Continue Reading
A number of Congressional panels have scheduled or held recent hearings on health policy issues, including the following: On November 30, 2017, the House Energy & Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act), featuring testimony by National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, M.D. and Food … Continue Reading
Included in the 21st Century Cures Act are numerous changes to Medicare and Medicaid policies, including provisions with significant reimbursement impacts for certain types of Medicare providers and suppliers, along with changes intended to reduce the regulatory and administrative burdens associated with the use of electronic health records. Furthermore, the law once again expands the … Continue Reading
The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has adopted a final rule to enable the ONC to directly review certified health information technology (IT) to determine whether it conforms to the requirements of the ONC Health IT Certification Program (‘‘Program’’). Such ONC review would be independent of, and may be … Continue Reading
In light of recent health information data breaches, the Government Accountability Office has issued a report examining whether HHS security and privacy guidance for electronic health records (EHRs) are consistent with federal cybersecurity guidance, and the extent to which HHS oversees compliance with HHS information security and privacy requirements. The GAO identified shortcomings in HHS … Continue Reading
Congressional committees held hearings on a wide variety of on health policy issues this month before going on summer recess. Notable hearings include the following:… Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is seeking comments on how to achieve widespread exchange of health information through interoperable certified electronic health record (EHR) technology nationwide by the end of 2018, as is called for by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). MACRA also mandates … Continue Reading
Congressional committees have held hearings recently on various health policy issues, including: Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on CMS implementation of the Medicare physician fee schedule reform provisions included in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), financing and delivery of long-term care, and the public health response to the Zika virus. A Ways … Continue Reading
The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has proposed changes to the ONC Health IT Certification Program that are intended to “further enhance the safety, reliability, transparency, and accountability of certified health IT for users.” Notably, the proposed rule would: Establish a process for ONC to directly review certified health … Continue Reading
HHS is forming a new “Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force” as part of the Administration’s effort to improve preparedness for cybersecurity threats affecting the health care industry. HHS is accepting nominations for the Task Force until March 9, 2016. Key qualifications for panelists include:… Continue Reading
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has approved several bipartisan health policy bills, including health information technology (HIT) legislation and bills aimed at spurring biomedical innovation to complement the “House 21st Century Cures” initiative. Specifically, on February 9, 2016, the Committee approved:… Continue Reading
On December 31, 2015, CMS published a request for information (RFI) seeking public comments on certification requirements for health information technology (HIT), including electronic health records (EHR) products used for reporting under certain CMS quality reporting programs. The RFI also invites feedback on how often CMS should require recertification, the number of clinical quality measures … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final 2016 Interoperability Standards Advisory, which catalogs the “best available” interoperability standards and implementation specifications for industry use to fulfill specific clinical health information technology (IT) interoperability needs. The Advisory focuses only on clinical health IT systems’ interoperability; it does not … Continue Reading
On February 4, 2016, CMS is hosting a provider call on Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act requirements regarding the reporting of standardized patient assessment data by post-acute care (PAC) providers (skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care hospitals). During this call, CMS and the Office of the National … Continue Reading
The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has published a notice correcting errors and clarifying provisions of its October 16, 2015 rule that finalized the 2015 edition health information technology certification criteria and a new 2015 Edition Base Electronic Health Record (EHR) definition.… Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a sweeping final rule with comment period that specifies the requirements that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments and avoid downward payment adjustments under the … Continue Reading
The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final “Roadmap” to promote the secure exchange and use of electronic health information. The document, “Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0,” describes policy and technical actions needed to meet ONC’s “vision of … Continue Reading
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its final Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for 2015-2020. The 50-page document details how the federal government intends to effectively use health information technology (IT) “to help the nation achieve high-quality care, lower costs, a healthy population, and engaged individuals.” The strategic … Continue Reading
