Podcasts about information blocking

January 12th, 2023: This conversation with Micky Tripathi, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at ONC, explores the intricate balance between policy, technology, and business within healthcare. How is the intersection of these domains reshaping healthcare IT, and what challenges and rewards come with navigating this nexus? They also touch upon the implications of the 21st Century Cures Act and the role of information blocking in modern healthcare. What does the future hold for health IT professionals in the wake of these regulatory changes, and how will these adjustments impact patient care and provider interactions? Furthermore, the discussion highlights the potential of TEFCA (The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement) in revolutionizing health information exchange. Could TEFCA be the key to overcoming previous communication barriers in public health emergencies? Join us as we explore these pivotal topics and their implications for the future of healthcare.Key Points:Home Based CareInformation Blocking RegulationsTEFCA and Public HealthPatient and Provider InteractionEthics of Sharing InformationSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

2023 has been a busy year for information blocking regulations: HHS ONC's HTI-1 proposed rule in April (which was finalized on December 13, after this podcast was recorded), OIG's final rule in June, and November's proposed enforcement rule for health care providers. Dawn Morgenstern, Senior Director of Consulting Services and Chief Privacy Officer, Clearwater, speaks with Beth Pitman, Partner, Holland & Knight, about the information blocking regulations and their practical application in matters such as health information management and operations, technology licensing, and M&A diligence. They also share insights on documenting exceptions and structuring contracts and transactions to limit liability. Sponsored by Clearwater.To learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community, visit americanhealthlaw.org.

On today's episode of Gist Healthcare Daily, we hear the second part of JC's conversation with Micky Tripathi, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about proposed penalties for healthcare providers that engage in information blocking and how they fit into the federal government's overall interoperability goals. You can find the first part of our conversation here. You can read HHS' proposed rule here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a set of three proposed monetary penalties for healthcare providers–both organizations and physicians–that engage in so-called information blocking. That practice interferes with, prevents, or discourages access, exchange, or use of electronic health information. It was banned in 2016's 21st Century Cures Act. Today, Micky Tripathi, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), joins the podcast to talk more about what information blocking looks like among healthcare providers and what the proposed penalties aim to do. You can read HHS' proposed rule here. Be sure to tune in for the second part of our conversation tomorrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thank you for tuning into The Dish on Health IT's 2023 end-of-year recap. Point-of-Care Partners' (POCP) subject matter experts, including, Pooja Babbrah, Pharmacy and PBM Practice Lead; Jocelyn Keegan, Payer Provider Practice Lead; and Kim Boyd, Regulatory Resource Center Lead, gathered to discuss their top 3 health IT milestones for 2023 and their expectations for 2024. They also delved into the highly anticipated final version of the Interop 3, focused on advancing interoperability and improving prior authorization rules. Offering insights and advice, they guided listeners on approaching the initial review of this significant final rule. Point-of-Care Partners extends warm holiday wishes and a Happy New Year to all. Host, Pooja Babbrah kicked off the episode informing listeners that this episode will be a special format. POCP has subject matter experts galore so this episode will bring together a small group of POCPers to look back at 2023, discuss what 2024 will have in store and talk a bit about the anticipated final Interop 3 rule.Cohosts Jocelyn Keegan, recently honored as the DirectTrust Interoperability Hero, and Kim Boyd, a contributor steeped in policy knowledge and serving as POCP's Regulatory Resource Center Lead, introduced themselves before the trio transitioned to the main discussion.They contemplated a format for the day, aiming to dedicate the first half of the conversation to a round-robin, where each would share their personal top three events or trends from 2023. Pooja referenced the HIT Perspectives 2023 trends article, outlining POCP's collective trends. However, today's discussion allowed each participant to present their individual lists before delving into the much-anticipated final rule.Top of FormKim initiated the round robin by expressing that her top priority is healthcare interoperability, acknowledging its vast scope emerging from the 21st Century Cures Act and beyond. Within this expansive interoperability landscape, she highlighted the advancements within the FHIR community, predicting a swifter adoption of FHIR than previously witnessed. Her second ranking milestone revolves around artificial intelligence and machine learning, particularly their rapid uptake and integration into policy. Kim anticipated a more robust policy oversight of AI in the future. Her third notable milestone encompasses telehealth and telepharmacy, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased patient reliance on remote visits for healthcare.Jocelyn followed, emphasizing that her list complemented Kim's perspective, offering a different angle. Her primary inclusion highlighted the industry's transition into implementation mode in 2023, witnessing real-world progress and widespread adoption of FHIR at scale.Jocelyn provided examples supporting these observations. The first involves the reaction to the proposed attachments rule, released alongside the prior authorization proposed rule. While many organizations expressed their belief that attachments might not be crucial for future progress, the responses to the Interop 3 proposed rule were predominantly positive.Her second HIT milestone relates to AI but primarily focuses on acknowledging and addressing the baked-in bias potentially inherent in AI and other advanced technologies. She highlighted the steps included in the HTI-1 proposed rule, aiming to mitigate bias and initiate discussions on ensuring the unintentional disruption of the path towards equity.Jocelyn's third milestone centers on TEFCA, highlighting the progress made and the anticipated clarification expected in 2024 regarding its scope and limitations.She connected TEFCA back to the first topic, emphasizing the necessity for alignment between the TEFCA infrastructure, rule framework, and the emerging API world. There have been ongoing discussions and industry feedback stressing the need for better alignment between the FHIR roadmap and the TEFCA roadmap as the industry shifts towards more real-time interactions.Finally, Pooja presented her list, with pharmacy interoperability holding the top spot as her absolute milestone. She expressed her honor in participating in the HITAC Pharmacy Interoperability Task Force, emphasizing POCP's long-standing advocacy for integrating pharmacists into continuity of care discussions. She highlighted the importance of this focus in bridging access gaps, facilitating genomics testing, and building momentum for sharing data with pharmacists. This includes ensuring their access to patient records and their ability to share data with the broader care team, a significant development.Her second and third priorities revolved around emerging trends in pharmacy with broader implications. Second on her list was Pharmacogenomics, involving genetic testing to discern the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of certain medications for specific patients. Pooja's third priority was digital therapeutics, an area where POCP has already made strides. She noted the growing emphasis, not only for pharmacies in understanding how to administer these therapeutics but also for payers in determining coverage policies.The discussion then pivoted to sharing reactions and perspectives on each other's lists. Kim expressed her delight in hearing pharmacy interoperability as Pooja's top priority. She highlighted the dichotomy within the healthcare ecosystem, emphasizing the divide between pharmacy services and NCPDP standards on one side, and clinical services with HL7 standards, including FHIR, on the other. Kim noted the increasing convergence between these realms, particularly with enhanced collaboration between NCPDP and HL7. She anticipated continued advancements in NCPDP concerning pharmacogenomics, digital therapeutics, social determinants, and the flow of relevant health data.When questioned, Jocelyn emphasized the criticality of integrating pharmacy into data flow and recognizing pharmacists as integral members of the care team. She stressed the impact of provider shortages in recent engagements with the US healthcare system.Jocelyn echoed Kim's perspective on the alignment of pharmacy and clinical standards, emphasizing their collaborative synergy rather than competition. She emphasized the need to ensure the right patient data reaches the appropriate care team members, including pharmacists, at the opportune moment, asserting that this alignment significantly enhances patient care.Jocelyn highlighted that technology is designed to facilitate transitioning from one standard to another. She emphasized the increasing significance of robust data exchange, particularly the exchange of quality data, between payers and pharmacies as the industry transitions towards value-based care.Agreeing with Jocelyn, Pooja explained the challenges in integrating pharmacists into value-based care contracts consistently. However, she noted that as data exchange between pharmacies, other healthcare settings, and payers improves, barriers diminish. Pooja underscored the broader benefits of enhancing pharmacy interoperability, emphasizing advantages not only for pharmacists but also for providers and payers.Highlighting the pivotal role of pharmacists, Pooja stressed their potential as invaluable resources for gathering social determinants of health data. She emphasized their significance in care delivery, identifying patient needs, and facilitating connections with community services. Given the frequency of pharmacist-patient interactions, she emphasized the criticality of collecting and sharing this information with the broader provider team.The conversation then shifted to the Interop 3 – Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization rule, expected to be released by the end of 2023 or early 2024. Kim initiated the discussion, focusing primarily on the prior authorization aspect of the rule, acknowledging its broader scope.Kim emphasized the crucial need to establish transparency and automation to address the delays in treatment caused by prior authorization or impeding patients' understanding of their coverage when a PA is not approved. The rule encompasses various APIs facilitating exchanges among payers, providers, and patients, utilizing the Da Vinci implementation guides.Regarding industry feedback on the proposed Interop 3 rules, Kim highlighted the notably high volume of comments, predominantly expressing overwhelming positivity. Approximately 68% of the comments agreed with the rule's intent. Although some HIPAA-related concerns were expressed, very few disagreed with the rule overall, which was intriguing given its extensive scope. Providers consistently voiced their desire for a more efficient prior authorization process, advocating for faster turnaround times and increased transparency regarding reasons for denial.Kim underscored the significance of the inclusion of the patient access API, stressing its value for all individuals as patients. She emphasized the importance of augmented access and transparency, not only concerning clinical information like test results but also regarding payer information related to coverage and reasons for prior authorization denial.Jocelyn aligned with Kim's overall assessment and expressed disappointment over the proposed rules' omission of automation for specialty medications or treatments covered under the medical benefit. She highlighted this overlooked area, expressing disappointment at its continued exclusion.One thing that brought Jocelyn immense satisfaction was the inclusion and acknowledgment of the Da Vinci Guides' role, which significantly boosted morale. There has been noticeable maturity and widespread adoption of Da Vinci guides this year.Jocelyn expressed surprise at the absence of staggered deadlines in the proposed Interop 3 rule. From the Da Vinci community perspective, strong opinions have been consistently voiced to all HHS colleagues—ONC and CMS—over the past couple of years, emphasizing the importance of promoting gradual progress rather than imposing substantial leaps. Hence, the alignment of everything with the 2026 deadline was quite unexpected.Pooja expressed her appreciation for Jocelyn's mention of the absence of specialty medication. She highlighted the stakeholders' growing interest in addressing specialty automation. Notably, many specialty medications require prior authorization, making it surprising that a proposed rule focused on prior authorization didn't include items covered under the medical benefit, such as specialty medications.The discussion shifted towards offering advice to listeners on how to approach their initial review of the final rule when it's released. Pooja inquired if there were any specific strategies to consider. Jocelyn openly admitted that she would start her review by performing a search using control + F for the words "Da Vinci" before delving into noting the specific IGs named and understanding the timeline. Additionally, she highly recommended reviewers commence with the rule's introduction, as it sets the expected scope for the details.Kim humorously mentioned her plan to break out the eggnog before diving into the review, expressing eagerness due to its overdue nature. She echoed Jocelyn's emphasis on paying special attention to standards requirements, specifications, and particularly the timelines. She's curious if any staggering will be introduced.Kim highlighted her interest in uncovering any mentions of TEFCA and seeking details regarding prior authorization. Anticipating stakeholders' keenness for the timeline, she pondered how organizations less proactive in their approach might adjust their interoperability roadmaps.The trio acknowledged the waiting game as they anticipated the final rule, expecting it to drop within a week or a few weeks. In closing the episode, they shifted focus to their expectations for progress in 2024, sharing their final thoughts.Expressing gratitude, Jocelyn thanked Pooja, Kim, and all the dedicated Da Vinci members committed to transforming healthcare. She emphasized the privilege of their work and the influential role they play in driving industry progress forward.Continuing, Jocelyn emphasized the importance of stakeholders having a plan in place, having selected partners, and scoped out project requirements, considering the multiple requirements in proposed rules like HTI-1 or disincentives related to information blocking. With policy activity accumulating, starting work becomes increasingly challenging if stakeholders haven't initiated their projects.She highlighted that interoperability and emerging policies transcend mere technology, impacting fundamental business transformation. It's about establishing collaborative frameworks with partners, providers, suppliers, pharmacies, and community members.Recognizing the learning curve, Jocelyn stressed the need to leverage collective experience, emphasizing the necessity of investing in building skilled professionals for this transformative journey.Additionally, Jocelyn pointed out the considerable activity at the state level, highlighting states like Washington, California, and Utah potentially setting more aggressive deadlines than anticipated by CMS.Kim contributed by mentioning the Office of the National Coordinator's rule-making efforts around certification. Specifically, she referenced the FY2025 rule encompassing real-time prescription benefit and the new SCRIPT standard, particularly pertinent to pharmacy interoperability.Agreeing with Jocelyn's state-level observation, Kim highlighted a Wisconsin Bill allocating $500,000 annually to drive the adoption of real-time prescription benefit tools. States like Wisconsin actively support moving patient empowerment solutions forward where progress has been slower.In 2024, increased AI-related policy activity is expected, not only at the federal level but also within certain states as they unveil details regarding the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Privacy and security will be pivotal aspects of these developments. TEFCA's prominence, especially in the initial six months of 2024, cannot be overstated.POCP houses experts deeply entrenched in these areas, dedicating their days to aiding organizations in navigating the landscape, aligning strategies with competitive trends and policy shifts, as they are intrinsically intertwined. Further industry consolidations are anticipated, influencing healthcare interoperability and patient care delivery.Looking ahead, there's a breadth of promising developments on the horizon, but staying abreast of these changes requires daily vigilance—a facet in which we aim to empower and assist. Pooja echoed these sentiments about 2024, emphasizing the significance of pharmacy interoperability.She highlighted the recent recommendations from high-tech quarters, advocating for pharmacy inclusion at the table. Pooja referenced the Sequoia annual conference, where the importance of not overlooking pharmacists was underscored. She hinted at discussions swirling around the potential formation of a pharmacy workgroup under the Sequoia project.The recommendations stemming from the HITAC pharmacy interoperability task force aimed to unite stakeholders and emphasize various focal points in the field.Reflecting on 2024, Pooja's closing thoughts emphasized the importance of collaboration. Encouraging individuals with substantial pharmacy knowledge and hands-on experience in operability to step up and contribute, she urged for their active involvement to ensure the comprehensive inclusion of this expertise.Closing the episode, Pooja extended her gratitude to her esteemed colleagues, Jocelyn Keegan and Kim Boyd, and expressed sincere appreciation to the audience for their unwavering support of The Dish on Health IT, underscoring its immense value to everyone involved.

Patient Information Blocking and Patient Tracking Technologies Are you blocking, tracking or both? David Johnson and Julie Murchinson talk about the latest federal rules on how to collect and share patient health information on the new episode of the 4sight Health Roundup podcast moderated by David Burda. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen/

Rules, rules, rules. Do some go too far or others not enough to capture and share protected health information? David W. Johnson and Julie Murchinson talk about the latest federal rules on how to collect and share patient health information on the new episode of the 4sight Health Roundup podcast moderated by David Burda.

Tune in for today's industry updates.

Sean was joined by Elliot Golding of McDermott Will & Emery to discuss all things HIPAA Privacy and Security, Information Blocking, and a few more critical aspects of cybersecurity! This episode is a must for all medical practices, hospitals and health systems to ensure your compliance with the ever-changing landscape! Elliot is Sean's go-to when it comes to Data Privacy and Cybersecurity! About Elliot Golding: Elliot Golding (CIPP/US) is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery's Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice. Elliot provides business-oriented privacy and cybersecurity advice to a wide range of clients, with a focus on health care/life sciences, technology (including "digital health"), ecommerce, financial, and other sectors that frequently handle personal information. His practical approach helps clients balance legal risk with business needs, particularly relating to innovative issues such as “digital health” technologies, the Internet of Things, data monetization, online advertising technology, big data and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning tools (particularly in the health research context). He has extensive experience helping clients navigate the patchwork of evolving legal standards and best practices, including:--Federal laws, such as HIPAA/HITECH, Information Blocking and Interoperability Rules, 42 CFR Part 2, GLBA, COPPA, health research rules, marketing rules (TCPA, CANSPAM, etc.), --US state laws, such as CCPA (and for coming laws in CA, CO, VA, CT, and UH), CMIA, CalFIPA, laws governing sensitive health and financial information, and state laws governing security and breach notification--industry standards (such as DAA/NAI self-regulatory principles, PCI-DSS, and security standards (such as NIST and ISO). Elliot has also handled hundreds of breaches and security incidents through all aspects of investigation, notification, remediation and engagement with regulators. He has received awards for his expertise from numerous publications, including Bloomberg and Global Data Review. Elliot also chairs several American Bar Association committees including the Privacy, Security and Emerging Technology Division; E-Privacy Law Committee, and Biotechnology, Healthcare Technology, and Medical Device Committee.

Pooja Babbrah, Pharmacy & PBM lead with Point-of-Care Partners (POCP), NCPDP Board of Trustees Chair, and host of The Dish on Health IT kicked off the episode. This last episode of 2022 featuring POCP Regulatory Resource lead, Kim Boyd and Payer & Provider Practice Lead and Da Vinci Program Manager, Jocelyn Keegancame together to break down all the big things that have happened in 2022 and what we expect for 2023. Pooja explained that while this episode's discussion will primarily be policy related, the panelists will also talk about some of the real progress being made in the standards world and the interconnectedness between federal and state health IT policy and legislation and between standards and policy, and what it means to the industry. Pooja asked Jocelyn and Kim to briefly introduce themselves and to tell the audience what topics they are most excited about discussing. Jocelyn introduced herself as the POCP payer practice lead, devoted to positive change and building/getting stuff done. She went on to say that her focus at POCP is on interoperability, prior authorizations, and the convergence of tech, standards, and product strategy. She explained that she has spent her career moving people and organizations towards APIs, unleashing data for their highest, best-purpose uses. She expressed that she couldn't be more excited about where we've been this year and the precipice of where we are headed next year.Kim expressed that it's always a pleasure convening with Pooja and Jocelyn to discuss the exciting world of health IT.  She went on to share her background which has spanned medical and pharmacy operations and implementations, with years of policy, industry, and standards development work on ePA, cost transparency, ePrescribing, and taking what she learned in these areas to work with policymakers on smart policies to advance interoperability and patient care.  Kim stated that it has been an exciting year leading POCP's Regulatory Resource Center and that so much is happening in the state and federal regulatory spaces that ties to the innovations and acceleration the industry has been experiencing in health care.   Pooja thanked them both for their introductions and then dug into the discussion by asking each of them to share the biggest Health IT highlights of 2022. Kim explained that four things really stand out in 2022:the requirements of the transparency in coverage and no surprises act going into effect and the various provisions requiring data and cost transparency and giving patients and their care teams access to information that will help them make informed decisions.  Many in the industry have been clamoring for transparency of this type for some time.The incredible work happening to advance interoperability via the SDOs and Accelerators, like HL7 Da Vinci, CodeX, FAST, and NCPDP's Pharmacy Technology and Innovations group. how Federal agencies are collaborating on aligning requirements for interoperability, like the use of standards and FHIR-based standards specifically. This collaboration and proceeding regulatory action will help align the technical and interoperability stars.  the all-hands-on-deck focus on patient health equity is a big area of concentration for not only innovators in the market but the White House, HHS, standards organizations like NCPDP and HL7, and community and public health organizations.  There is just so much happening to try and close gaps in equitable care and the data/digital transformation that needs to happen to help facilitate change.     Jocelyn followed Kim to share her perspective on the biggest highlights of 2022 first joking that Kim got to go first and steal some of the things she was going to say.She laughingly shared that she agrees with all of Kim's points and then said that she wanted to focus more on the tone and the tenor of the work happening in the industry. Jocelyn shared that from her perspective it feels as though the industry has moved from thinking about interoperability projects as something that will happen "someday" to action and reality.  She clarified that this may not be the case for everyone, but many organizations and projects are moving forward to not only do the IT work but the business transformation. The examples she gave included the real progress made on TEFCA, real-world deployments of FHIR guides, live usage of APIs, prior authorization (PA) on pharmacy getting an infusion with last year's Medicare Part DJocelyn added that she wanted to focus on and add to Kim's comment about coordination at the federal level. She explained that policymakers at the federal level have been working for well over a decade and using their levers to make change extraordinarily well.  Jocelyn went on to say that as she sees it there are three camps of folks; people and organizations who are working ahead of policy by paying attention to published roadmaps and reading between the lines of public statements, folks trying to get their organizations prepared to respond to the next wave of policy, and others playing the waiting game to see if it's real and if they'll have to follow or if another path will emerge. Finally, she added, that the last highlight from 2022 is all the waiting! The industry keeps waiting for certain regulations to drop. She explained that she doesn't think she remembers another year where there has been this much policy anticipation at year-end. Pooja thanked Jocelyn and Kim for sharing their perspectives. She shared two important topics that have been more under the radar but are growing in importance and focus. The first is consent, specifically eConsent. Stewards of change published the report “Modernizing Consent to Advance Health and Equity” to bring more attention to the need to solve this issue – not only in the context of healthcare but also social services as those are such an important tie-in to health outcomes.  Add to that, the ONC half-day discovery workshop on eConsent.  Pooja explained to those who may not have attended – that it was an amazing session that brought together so many different people across the continuum of care in addition to the people working in the social services arena.The other area is pharmacy and the growing role of pharmacists in the care team and the work that is being done to ensure that they have access to more data and information to support care teams and support patients.  Pooja explained that there has been a lot of movement by retail chains to add primary care services to their offering and community pharmacies are supporting more clinical services.  This has led to more focus and a flurry of discussion around interoperability in the pharmacy space. Pooja gave the example of the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) recently proposing adding a pharmacy-focused subcommittee which is a huge indicator. Pooja shifted the discussion to policy highlights, specifically, requirements that went into effect and whether the industry met the deadlines or is still working on it. She explained that she is thinking specifically of: No Surprises ActTransparency in Coverage RuleInformation BlockingKim jumped in by saying that with the No Surprises Act there is still some pushback and uncertainty about how providers are going to comply with having to pull together all the data to provide Advanced EOBs (AEOBs) and good faith estimates (GFEs) when there are multiple providers involved in delivering the expected care; however, the Da Vinci Project is working on advancing implementation guidance to support patient cost transparency. Kim encouraged folks and organizations listening to this episode to get involved in these efforts. Kim added that she expects to see more price transparency-related policies, especially given the latest request for information on AEOBs. Kim went on to say that compliance with the ONC 21st Century Cures Final Rule on information blocking has been a mixed bag. She added that she wished ONC had called this "information sharing" instead of information blocking. Kim went on to say that most of the non-compliance has been on the provider side because it is challenging when a provider falls under the rule as an actor but maybe the health system they work in does not, especially when the health system may hold the data being requested. She added that most of the EHRs have spoken with are up-to-speed on the full EHI sharing requirement. Jocelyn added her perspective on information sharing specifically around EHI. Technically all of this information needs to be put out there, while the industry waits for USCDI to fully encapsulate patient information, there is probably a lot of non-codified data in the system that isn't actionable or really useable. The EHR certification requirements will likely do more to move the industry forward.  Jocelyn confessed that she fell down the RFI response rabbit hole and spent an hour looking at the feedback to the RFIs.  She thinks there is a disconnect between the goal of the rule and how to operationally do the work. An example she provided was around PA and that it isn't automating the submission of the PA alone but how to automate the 10 steps that need to happen before a PA is submitted. Pooja shifted the conversation to ask Kim to talk a little about the state activity around price transparency and why it's so important for stakeholders to pay attention not only to federal policy but what's happening in the states.Kim agreed that so many organizations forget that state policy is a big part of the equation too.  She shared that on the data and cost transparency side, states doubling down to move the needle on data fluidity. The POCP Regulatory Resource center has its finger on this pulse.  From the required patient-specific cost, benefit, coverage, and eligibility data sharing to confirmation of compliance enforcement of the No Surprises Act and Hospital Transparency, just to name a few.Pooja concurred and added that many people forget the states can add enforcement teeth above and beyond federal enforcement. She then remarked that this has been a year of anticipation and asked Kim to share where the burden reduction and prior authorization rule that was shelved back in 2020 is currently. Kim responded by explaining that there has been so much anticipation and even angst for some when the original rule came out in 2020 but then was pulled back.So many in the industry have been endeavoring to fulfill the promise the Da Vinci CRD, DTR, PAS IGs provide on solving for medical PA. Probably the most promising sign from CMS is the rule sitting at OMB since mid-October, waiting for review and then ultimately release. Given OMB has a max of 90 days to take action on the review, health plans, vendors, providers, and their partners should be closely monitoring for OMBs response and action.   Jocelyn joined in to say that the rule that came out in 2020 was definitely more than just burden reduction and it would have codified the use of patient-access APIs. She added that the 2020 rule didn't just require FHIR but named a particular implementation guide or "recipe" for the industry to use. Jocelyn anticipates that the version of the rule that has reemerged and is sitting with OMB likely includes Medicare Advantage plans which weren't included in the 2020 version. She's really interested to see what the NPRM will include. Jocelyn added that there is legislation pending that includes prior authorization and many are hoping the proposed rule drops before the legislation passes. Pooja thanked Jocelyn for bringing up the pending legislation and then moved on to ask about the recent CMS requests for information out there. She asked about what kinds of questions is the government asking and what do these questions tell us about where their heads are at? Jocelyn started by saying that the industry is seeing an unprecedented amount of coordination and policy-making activity. It has been a challenge to marshall the resources to respond to these RFIs and participate in the conversations and discussions these RFIs generate. Clearly, the industry is leading and the RFIs are an indication that CMS and ONC want industry input into their policymaking. Jocelyn went on to say that after reviewing the comments to these RFIs, the common themes were that the industry needs time and an incremental approach is needed but no one is saying what is being explored can't be accomplished. Kim added that she was struck by how aligned the agencies releasing these RFIs seemed to be on solving for interoperability, digitization, using/reusing or referencing FHIR resources for use and across different areas of health care, from the public health infrastructure, TEFCA, Certification of HIT, PAs and more, even the RFI from CMS related to the National Directory wants to hear from health care on the applicability of the use of FHIR standards. In transition, Pooja remarked that POCP and everyone on the podcast work in the standards development space through the support of some of the Accelerators like FAST, CodeX, CARIN Alliance, and of course, Da Vinci. She asked for the discussion to now cover the biggest accomplishments so far and what's expected in 2023. Kim responded by saying that while not officially announced, the CodeX PA in Oncology Use case – focused on solving for automating PA for cancer patients using the Da Vinci IGs is progressing to the Execution Phase. Members represented in this use case are payers, EHRs, physician groups, and health systems and they have collaboratively moved the needle on this use case and will execute the proof of concept for prostate cancer in 2023. Kim added that she is proud that NCPDP for their October Pilot launch announcement of the National Facilitator Model to strengthen pandemic and epidemic preparedness using industry standards and technology to enable pharmacies, prescribers, and government agencies to access real-time information on prescription, testing, immunization, and related data – across state lines - to support patient health interventions during public health crises. The model can also be used to effectively support public health surveillance.Jocelyn chimed in to express her awe at the pace of work on IGs and new use cases. She added that another big milestone is that FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST) transitioned out of ONC into the HL7 Accelerator program. FAST progressed work on Security, Identity, and Exchange and they are pulling the TEFCA team in to align their work. She added that Da Vinci has made a lot of progress on Risk Adjustment, allowing payers and providers to share information to inform a change in a patient's risk status. Jocelyn went on to say that there are also some exciting real-world implementations happening with a specific shout out to the team comprised of MultiCare, Providence, Regence, leadership from Optum, and Da Vinci champions launching the first in the nation FHIR-based pre-authorization embedded into the clinical workflow. Pooja seconded the kudos for the NPCPD vaccine pilot and she also mentioned the CodeX REMS use case which is marching toward a pilot and is once again bringing NCPDP and HL7 together. Pooja went on to recognize Helios as an Accelerator that is starting to gain traction and the industry should pay attention to their work. Pooja commented that while price and cost transparency for the patient will always be a passion of mine, the growing role of pharmacists in the care team is another area she is really excited about. Additional services are being performed by pharmacists, the prescribing authority is being extended to pharmacists, and the need for standards and technology to enable clinical data to flow from pharmacists to care team members in other environments like doctors' offices and hospitals. Pooja continued by saying that the pandemic and really the Federal PREP act accelerated this movement.  Now pharmacists can administer pretty much any vaccine on CDC's list, and there are around 25 states that allow pharmacists to prescribe HIV medications. Pooja explained that this expanding role and some of the regulatory requirements make pharmacy interoperability and connection with the rest of the care team critical. For example, for pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid, they must order or access labs for the patients.  Unless pharmacists are in a health system they will likely not have access to a patient's lab report.  If the industry wants pharmacists to continue to support providers and patients with more clinical services – there has to be a focus on interoperability. Kim agreed that it is an exciting time for the pharmacy community.  The need for clinical and administrative data access, use, storage, and exchange to improve and coordinate patient care knows no boundaries – the whole of the care team, including the pharmacist, must be able to operate in an environment where this takes place.  Kim added that the NCPDP Strategic Planning Committee Value-Based Care Subcommittee acknowledged that the industry is well positioned to support pharmacists as a part of a value-based arrangement and we have the standards to support all types of clinical care and exchange so pharmacists can provide services like dispensing, screening for Social Determinants of Health or taking and reporting labs or blood pressure, etc.   2023 will be filled with opportunities within the NCPDP standards development process, the industry, and policy, to further the role of the pharmacist, closing gaps in care and the innovations needed for the future of pharmacists as part of the care team.Pooja asked to do a round-robin weigh-in on TEFCA, HIPAA 2.0, and Health Equity. What's new, what's real, and what should our listeners be on the lookout for in 2023? Jocelyn responded by saying that each of these topics has so many sub-topics and what will be interesting is to see how these all intersect with one another. She added that there is a movement to the platform where companies are partnering to solve some of the challenges related to these areas and make data fluid but secure. Kim responded by saying that there is still confusion and conflict between HIPAA and the ONC Information blocking rules.  Technology has evolved and new interpretations and requirements are needed that provide patient data security without limiting data sharing.  The industry will see some movement from OCR in 2023.TEFCA is real and moving forward in establishing the infrastructure model and rules that will govern how different networks and their stakeholders (including providers, payers, and public health) securely share clinically relevant information with each other. Nine organizations have provided letters of intent to the Sequoia Project, the recognized coordinating entity on behalf of ONC, to apply to become QHINs including EHR vendors such as Epic and Nextgen, national networks such as the eHealth Exchange and the CommonWell Health Alliance, and tech vendors such as Health Gorilla. More organizations are expected to apply. It will be interesting to see how successful TEFCA will be in incorporating FHIR into the framework over the next few years There is a united effort that includes government entities, health systems, pharmaceutical companies, private payer groups, and community organizations working together to overcome disparities and improve equity. This requires improved access to shared clinical and social needs data. Just last week CMS released its “Path Forward to improving data to advance health equity solutions” which aims to increase the collection of standardized sociodemographic and social determinants of health (SDOH) data across the healthcare industry as an important first step towards improving population In closing, Pooja asked everyone to share what they are most hopeful to see in 2023. She kicked it off by saying that for her it's the continued focus on pharmacists. Kim responded by saying many great things are happening in health care and that she is excited as a patient. There is more focus on helping patients grow as consumers of their own health care, providing data and insights into what options are available to obtain quality, timely and cost-effective care. She also expressed excitement about working with industry and policymakers to advance medical ePA in 2023 via the HL7 Da Vinci standards and leading the CodeX work on a pilot to advance PA for cancer patients. She concluded by echoing what Pooja said about her excitement about leading and partnering with others at NCPDP to promote and advance the role of the pharmacist as a part of the care team. Jocelyn joined in to say that she is hopeful for the momentum that has built up and she is super excited to see stakeholders build their toolboxes and embark on real-world implementations. Pooja closed out the episode by thanking her POCP cohosts, Jocelyn and Kim, and wishing our audience the happiest of holidays and the best for 2023. She reminded listeners that they can find The Dish on Health IT on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or whatever platform they use to pick up their podcasts, including HealthcareNOW Radio and the Podcast Channel. And that videos of the podcast episodes can be found o on the POCP YouTube channel. Adding, Health IT is a dish best served Hot! 

In this episode, Gina Bertolini and Stephen Page discuss the most recent Information Blocking Rule compliance deadline. Using a recent letter from several health care providers and other stakeholders to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) that outlines concerns related to the Information Blocking regulations, Gina and Stephen discuss the definition of electronic health information, the implication of technical changes to certified electronic health record technology, and application of some of the Information Blocking Rule's exceptions as well as offer recommendations for compliance.

This episode's guest is Dave Navarro, Senior Director of Data Science for Harmony Healthcare IT, a data management and lifecycle solutions firm. Dave joins the Dish on Health IT host, Ken Kleinberg, and co-host, Jocelyn Keegan,to talk 21st Century Cures Act and the change in the definition of “EHI”, critical components of plans to purge, archive, or transition data to new platforms, and how to marry data in various formats and versions of CCDA and FHIR. Ken kicked off the episode by asking co-host, Jocelyn Keegan, to briefly introduce herself and to share what she's looking forward to learning from today's guest.Jocelyn responded by explaining that she is the payer-practice lead at POCP, devoted to positive change and building/getting stuff done. She went on to say that her focus is on interoperability, prior authorizations, and the convergence of tech, standards, and product strategy. She also serves as the program manager for the HL7 Da Vinci Project. Da Vinci started as a conceptual idea of emulating the great work produced by the argonaut project but with a focus on payers and providers, value-based care, and clinical data interoperability and has become likely the most expansive of the FHIR Accelerators to date, focused on payer-provider collaboration.Ken then asked guest, Dave Navarro to briefly introduce himself and to include his professional background and journey to Harmony Health.Dave reiterated that he is the Senior Director of Data Science at Harmony and that he started his career about 22 years ago in the health IT world. He explained that he started by configuring EHRs and building clinical integrations for financial systems and clinical systems for Cerner Corporation.Dave explained that early on he had a lot of exposure to different data formats and files and that he's been spending the last 17-plus years in the health information exchange world. He landed at Harmony Health to work on the interoperability of legacy data and the legacy data solutions Harmony provides.Ken asked Dave to expound a little more on the work Harmony Health is doing.Dave explained that Harmony helps their clients' archive data from a legacy system or in some cases transition data from a legacy system to a new system.  If data are archived, they must still be in a format that can be managed, accessed, and consumed to inform clinical decisions.Harmony offers the Health Data Archivers solution, which includes extraction services. Clients can also earmark data that they'd like to have posted in their new system.Ken then shifted the conversation by asking how the industry as a whole or different stakeholders in particular view 21st Century Cures differently and whether Dave wishes there was a perspective the industry would share about how they approach compliance.Dave started by admitting that he hasn't read the entire 21st Century's Cures Act but has familiarized himself with the portions related to interoperability. He shared that he believes this legislation is a good thing. Dave pointed out that while it was signed back in 2016, the industry is just now seeing the results.He explained that he believes Cures has pushed the industry towards the adoption of content standards such as USCDI and transmission standards like HL7 CDA and now FHIR. Dave then went on to talk about the data blocking provision explaining that nobody wants to be a data blocker. This portion of the Act helps open the data stream and make data available where EHRs and ultimately patients can view it.Concerning what perspective he wishes the industry would share, Dave explained that it's about FHIR. He realizes that FHIR is a little bit scary to some, but that the industry should be starting with FHIR. Dave explains that one reason he believes this is the relative ease to understand and use FHIR compared to CDA, which has been a bit challenging to figure out. He went on to say that with FHIR, someone can study an implementation guide for an hour and pretty much figure it out. Dave also pointed out the FHIR US Core data set as being a good specification.Dave then went on to explain that while FHIR isn't an architecture guide it can be used to help make architecture decisions when an implementer is getting started. He added that FHIR builds on the work the industry has done on CDA and takes the lessons learned and fixes a lot of what the industry was frustrated by with CDA.Ken asked Jocelyn to share her view of Cures based on her day-to-day work as program manager of Da Vinci Project focused on payer-provider data exchange. Jocelyn expressed that everything Dave said is so incredibly important. From the Da Vinci perspective, she explained that there is an ongoing dialogue about the intersection of and confusion about the year-end USCDI V3 and FHIR R4 capabilities along with everything in the electronic health information (EHI) requirement.  Joce expressed that this is a great example where folks are looking for additional guidance before making new investments. She explained that most EHRs have a big lift to meet that requirement in a meaningful way. Joce continued by saying that FHIR alone isn't necessarily going to get the industry to the semantic interoperability that it's striving for but that if the industry would pick up the FHIR implementation guides in addition to the more advanced workflow guides, the industry would be making progress toward where it wants to be.The group spoke briefly about the expansion of the definition of EHI to expand outside of USCDI V1 and that many stakeholders are not ready to meet the October deadline. Dave pointed out that ultimately every journey starts with one step, and everyone just needs to pick a place to start which ideally would probably be USCDI V3, and start the work.Jocelyn pointed out that by nature stakeholders under regulation want to achieve certification She went on to say that investments were already made in CDA & CCDA and there's lots of CCDA data moving around. She went on to add that the big question is how the industry is going to manage the collision and misalignment of data formats. And how will the industry decide what needs to be codified, and cleansed and what's OK to remain unstructured? There are several stakeholders in the industry that have stood up to say that it's important that data created today needs to be usable and shareable going forward.Dave shared the experience he's had working in the historical archive world. He explained that for the most part, he encounters more organizations simply interested in checking the regulatory and requirements box, but that Cures pushes toward data being structured and codified simply by setting the expectation that patients will be able to access all their data which means that data, even unstructured data isn't going away. He went on to say that even if only minimum pieces of data or data from specific timeframes are migrated to a new system, archives must be able to be queried so a patient can access that data whether it's in the current EHR system or not.  The perpetuity of data required by the info-blocking rule must change the industry's mindset.Ken asked Dave to share some of the surprising or challenging questions from Harmony clients or notable projects. Dave explained that sometimes clients can share their entire database at the start of a project and this is ideal so the Harmony team can go through everything, and it makes extraction a little easier. What is being seen in many of these projects is that as the team goes through and looks for NDC codes, signature lines, problem descriptions, or allergy lists, the data isn't codified. This information will be there as text. For this data to be queried from any archive, it's got to be codified.Dave added that they use the specifications from USCDI and cross-reference them with FHIR US Core. Dave continued to explain in more complex detail some of the data types and mapping that occur to ensure the archived data can be queried effectively in the future. Dave pointed out that as painful as it sounds, he has been through every single element in the FHIR specification for US Core. He expressed how well put together US Core is and it's critical to how they do their work.Ken then asked about how consent is handled during these archiving projects. This led to a robust conversation with Dave sharing that consents get archived if they are found, however the most recent consent on record in the current EHR would likely be applied to how any data pulled from the archive would be shared.The group went on to discuss the complexity of consent and the importance of establishing and maintaining eConsent in a scalable way. Jocelyn pointed out that through the discussions she's had with stakeholders and through her personal experiences, the industry needs to solve this so that patients can manage their consents in a secure, central place so they can update and change their consents based on their changing lives.Jocelyn then shifted the conversation toward the nature of adoption. She explained that she's heard some express resistance to FHIR because they perceive a push to rip and replace everything with FHIR. Jocelyn shared that she and most other industry leaders aren't proponents of that rip-and-replace concept but rather an incremental adoption approach where you adopt and use FHIR in the use cases it can best support and that FHIR can co-exist and interact with other standards. Jocelyn asked Dave to share his thoughts on FHIR adoption.Dave responded by saying that as much as he's been talking about FHIR, he doesn't yet have anyone with FHIR capabilities coming to query and retrieve data. Dave explained that what he has seen are stakeholders on the eHealth Exchange are part of Commonwell and they're familiar with exchanging data via those networks primarily using CDA formats. We start with where our clients are now but it's important to have FHIR capability built in so multiple formats are supported. He went on to say that in some instances you may have an instance where a FHIR API is used to request data in a CDA document. The industry certainly isn't going to be purely FHIR anytime soon if ever.As is tradition, Ken asked Dave to close out the podcast by sharing what he would like to see from the industry.Dave joked that as cliché as it must sound, interoperability is a journey and not a destination. The industry isn't going to fix everything by some policy deadline, and we aren't going to solve everything with just FHIR alone.Dave went on to say that the industry can learn a lot about how to architect their data by examining these standards to help guide those decisions. While FHIR is not intended as a data model, it is a good specification that can inform a well-formed database.Ken thanked guest, Dave Navarro, and co-host Jocelyn Keegan before reminding listeners that they can find and subscribe to The Dish on Health IT podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or whatever platform listeners use to pick up podcasts and that videos of episodes can be found on the POCP YouTube Channel.

UnitedHealthcare has activated an emotional support line, while others are waiving prior authorizations and adding support services. 

Listen to this podcast to learn about the ABA's working group to discuss the interplay between protecting patient privacy and providing the right to access pursuant to the new interoperability regulations which become enforceable this October 2022. This is a preview to the panel discussion Information Blocking and Interoperability: Working Through the Conflicts with HIPAA at the ABA Health Law Section's Physician Legal Issues Conference in Chicago September 15th to the 17th. Check out the conference details and register TODAY at ambar.org/PLI2022. This podcast is a discussion between Elizabeth Greene, co-chair of the PLI20022 conference, and Elaine Zacharakis, both members of the ABA Health Law Section's interoperability working group. The panel discussion at the conference will include Elaine Zacharakis, Heather Deixler and Deven McGraw.

In this episode of the MGMA Week in Review podcast, we feature articles on Medicare payment cuts, an information blocking update, and bottom-up innovation. Sources in this episode: Medicare payment cuts -- https://www.mgma.com/data/data-stories/patients-and-practices-face-dire-consequences-of-p Information Blocking Update -- https://mgma.com/advocacy/advocacy-statements-letters/advocacy-letters/august-18,-2022-mgma-and-partner-organizations-req?utm_source=nl-gov-kh-washington-connection-2022-09-01&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=government-affairs&mkt_tok=MTQ0LUFNSi02MzkAAAGGl_jsALsgLb75Oedk44Kq9SwyPs32hMPtDUxCoxkixoWYxBLFN1CXL2vqbMFPDR6OdX1HBW_jd8wz6JuutUf7Sr9zA1WD2HxYMXrEBU2t6g Bottom-Up Innovation -- https://hbr.org/2022/08/dont-let-hierarchy-stifle-innovation?ab=hero-main-text®istration=success&mkt_tok=MTQ0LUFNSi02MzkAAAGGjjLVD9fK2igD84za4TFUb1Wf0Lmd7xS3jH4GAIAeSm9NdF5a-WmL0OKymyhc3TviEEybh_bjRYWICMP0eumXCe5ZN93WjjoMyxi9v0GI-g Additional resources: To keep up with the latest healthcare legislation, visit mgma.com/advocacy. If you want to become part of the discussion, join the MGMA STAT panel by texting “stat” to 33550 or visit www.mgma.com/data/data-stories/mgma-stat-overview. Keep up with the latest industry news by subscribing to the MGMA Insights Newsletter at mgma.com/insightsnewsletter. Listen to our podcasts at www.mgma.com/listen. Join us at the MPE: Leaders Conference in Boston, Oct. 9-12. To register or learn more go to mgma.com/events/medical-pract…e-leaders-conference If you have a story you want to share with us, email us at podcasts@mgma.com.GMA Week in Review: Medicare Payment Cuts, Information Blocking Update, and Bottom-Up Innovation

Want to better understand what the Information Blocking Rule is, how it works and why we need it? In this episode of the Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology Podcast, host Jason G. Weiss sits down with Jeff Ganiban, Doriann Cain and Alex Eschenroeder to discuss all things IBR.

How have complaints of information blocking been submitted to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), and by whom? What does government enforcement action really look like? In this episode of our special series on interoperability, hear from ONC attorneys Cassie Weaver and Rachel Nelson. Cassie, Rachel, and Epstein Becker Green attorneys Allen Killworth and Nivedita Patel discuss how to better understand the formal information blocking complaint process, trends ONC has observed, and how those complaints could lead to enforcement action. Visit our site for more information and related resources: https://www.ebglaw.com/dhc46. Subscribe for email notifications: https://www.ebglaw.com/subscribe. Visit: http://diagnosinghealthcare.com. The EMPLOYMENT LAW THIS WEEK® and DIAGNOSING HEALTH CARE podcasts are presented by Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. All rights are reserved. This audio recording includes information about legal issues and legal developments. Such materials are for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current legal developments. These informational materials are not intended, and should not be taken, as legal advice on any particular set of facts or circumstances, and these materials are not a substitute for the advice of competent counsel. The content reflects the personal views and opinions of the participants. No attorney-client relationship has been created by this audio recording. This audio recording may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

Particle Health's CEO Troy Bannister stops by to not only talk about the API platform company's $25M Series B, but to also explain exactly what's going on in that patient data ‘exchange-standardize-and-aggregate' space that, these days, looks poised to pop as the 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Rule stands ready to make hospitals share data like never before. Troy calls Particle a “network of networks” and what that means is that their API pulls patient records from organizations and businesses that are already aggregating them (so aggregating the aggregators) to get all the lab data and medical data a clinician would want to in order to have a more complete picture of their patient. For clients like One Medical or Omada Health, who deliver value-based care and take on risk, having such a robust historic data set on patients – along with a more complete picture of their comorbidities – helps improve decision making and outcomes. So, how is Particle Health working now – and what will change – as the Information Blocking Rule gets implemented? Troy's written about this for Forbes, and explains what has him fired up here too. Turns out their model has room to accommodate a big pivot: giving patients access to their own ‘network of networks' record. Find out what sets Particle off in this new B2B2C direction and how they will be using that Series B funding to build out deeper analytical tools to help everyone make better sense of what the data in all those records can show us. * Jessica DaMassa, the emerging ‘It girl' of health tech interviewing, chats it up with the ‘who's who' of the health tech and healthcare innovation set on 'WTF Health - What's the Future, Health?' Catch 100's of interviews with leading health tech startups and the VC investors, health insurance companies, big pharma co's, and hospital systems helping bring their new ideas into the healthcare establishment. From AI and Big Data to digital health, virtual care, telehealth, digital therapeutics, payment model innovation, and investing, Jessica helps you spot the trends and figure out what's next.

The HIPAA Right of Access gives people the right to inspect their protected health information that is held by a HIPAA-covered entity, check the information for errors, and request that any errors are corrected. In this episode of the CodeCast podcast, Terry discusses what patient's rights are but also what the healthcare provider's responsibility is […] The post Information Blocking Realities appeared first on Terry Fletcher Consulting, Inc..

HealthIMPACT Live Presents: Harnessing the Power of Automation to Address the Information Blocking Rule and Empower Healthcare ConsumersOriginal Published Date:  May 23, 2022YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/nMjpfq15oVIThe Cures Act Information Blocking Rule aims to pull down the barrier between Americans and their health data, and have that data delivered electronically in a timely manner. What it means for healthcare consumers is easier access to their electronic health information and the ability to better understand and make more informed choices about their medical care. For healthcare providers, it means meeting stringent new regulatory requirements by Oct 6, 2022. According to the Office of the National Coordinator, over 300 patients, providers, and others have already submitted claims of information blocking through its online portal since April 2021.In this session, you will hear how providers can prepare to address the new regulations by leveraging the power of intelligent automation. Opportunities and challenges with patient accessInnovations related to and enabling accessResponsible stewardship of personal health information Yan Chow, MD, MBA, Global Healthcare Leader, Automation AnywhereShahid Shah, Publisher and Chief Editor, Medigy.comJanae Sharp, Founder, The Sharp IndexMatthew Sullivan, MD, CMIO, Atrium Health

The Congressionally enacted Information Blocking Rule takes effect across all healthcare system on October 6. This legislation will put new pressure on hospitals and medical establishments to provide patient-requested medical records in a timely manner—or face costly penalties. Automation can help. Hear Dr. Yan Chow, Global Healthcare Leader at Automation Anywhere share approaches to address this new regulation. 

In this episode, members of the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Committee discuss the effects of open information sharing on clinical workflows and on nurses in particular. Although of great benefit to patients, our panel points out that the immediate sharing of notes and other information with patient families is leading to an influx of queries and requests that some staffing models aren't yet prepared for. It may also introduce the possibility that some clinicians may self-censor the notes they enter, which used to serve as a form of intra-team communication. HIMSS member experts from a variety of institutions weigh in on this important topic which will remain challenging as the industry adapts to the new 21st Century Cures Act rules roll out.

The interoperability and information-blocking rules have imposed new regulations and requirements on health information exchanges (HIEs). How are HIEs responding to these new regulations in a space they have been in for decades? In this episode of our special series on interoperability, hear from Dan Paoletti, CEO of the Ohio Health Information Partnership. Dan and Epstein Becker Green attorneys Allen Killworth and Nivedita Patel discuss the role of HIEs in the interoperability landscape and the impact of the information-blocking rules on HIEs. Visit our site for more information and related resources: https://www.ebglaw.com/dhc37. Subscribe for email notifications: https://www.ebglaw.com/subscribe. Visit: http://diagnosinghealthcare.com. The EMPLOYMENT LAW THIS WEEK® and DIAGNOSING HEALTH CARE podcasts are presented by Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. All rights are reserved. This audio recording includes information about legal issues and legal developments. Such materials are for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current legal developments. These informational materials are not intended, and should not be taken, as legal advice on any particular set of facts or circumstances, and these materials are not a substitute for the advice of competent counsel. The content reflects the personal views and opinions of the participants. No attorney-client relationship has been created by this audio recording. This audio recording may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

In the first of a series of conversations at last week's ViVE health-tech event, MM+M's Marc Iskowitz sat down with Micky Tripathi, the national coordinator of health IT for the Department of Health and Human Services, to discuss implementation of the federal information-blocking ban, and other issues.

March 4, 2022: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micky-tripathi-890a335/ (Micky Tripathi), National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the ONC joins Bill to discuss TEFCA, USCDI, Electronic Prior Authorization RFI, Information Blocking and Health Equities by Design. What do we need to know about TEFCA? What do healthcare providers need to do as a result of this work? USCDI V3 added some new data elements in the Health Status, Procedures, Health Insurance, and Patient Demographics data classes. Why is USCDI important? What stage are we at with information blocking/sharing? What is the driver for RFI for Electronic Prior Authorizations? What exactly is health equity by design? How can people participate in this work? Key Points: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:30 - TEFCA - Trusted exchange framework and common agreement 00:25:00- 80% of US based individuals have access to a smart health card 00:27:30 - Information blocking should be called information sharing 00:37:45 - I would estimate that half of America would still be on paper records if it weren't for meaningful use Contact: micky.tripathi@hss.gov

The 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) was signed into law on Dec. 13, 2016. The bipartisan legislation has provisions for the development and delivery of drugs and medical devices, acceleration of research into serious illnesses, addressing the opioid crisis, and improving mental health services. High impact provisions relevant to healthcare providers, health IT developers, and patients focus on improving health information access and exchange.In this episode, guest host Melanie Turner, Associate Vice President of Application Services at UAB Health speaks with John Travis, the Vice President for Regulatory Research and Strategy with Cerner Corporation. This episode features perspectives from a Health IT vendor and health care provider regarding the changes that the law requires, focused in particular on the Information Blocking rules recently promulgated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to support the Cures Act.

Pooja Babbrah, filling in as host for Ken Kleinberg, kicked off this first episode of 2022 by welcoming guest, Kim Boyd, industry consultant, regulatory and standards and Health IT expert. This episode will cover the regulatory landscape in health IT and what may be coming in 2022 from new rules to compliance and enforcement. Jocelyn Keegan, senior consultant with Point-of-Care Partners, chimed in to explain she and Kim Boyd have had a chance to work with each other on the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, (NCPDP) electronic prior authorization (ePA) task group and that she has such admiration for her and her work. Kim Boyd then introduced herself and described how she got into regulation. She explained that while she does have a law background, having served as a paralegal in the United States Airforce, that's not where her love for policy started. In reality, the policy bug bit her in a chance encounter with a couple of entrepreneurs who mentored her and taught her their business from the ground up. In 2001, California proposed a regulation that would have been detrimental to their business, and she was asked to go up to Sacramento and talk to the regulatory bodies and legislature about why the policy wasn't good for patients or business. She was hooked from there. Pooja reaffirmed how important policy and regulation are in Health IT and pivoted the conversation by asking Kim her take on what could be expected in 2022 after several very active rules and policy years. Kim explained that many are of the mindset that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will continue to build on the endeavors we saw over the last several years. The focus will continue to be on interoperability, data fluidity, transparency, and other areas that have already been a major focus of the industry. She went on to explain that the pandemic really helped underline the importance of solving some of these industry challenges. Kim went on to say that there is so much work left to be done to move toward full interoperability in healthcare and a merging of the clinical, administrative, and financial data. She added that she is really excited by the ONC Health Interoperability Health Outcomes 2030 initiative, stating that we need to strive toward truly collaborative and coordinated care and maybe we'll finally succeed in getting rid of faxes once and for all.Pooja followed up by asking about whether there were any pieces of legislation that have enough bipartisan support to get passed. Kim explained that there is so much we need to accomplish and, thankfully, there are a couple of areas that seem to have bipartisan support. One of those areas is health equity. Legislation looking at reimbursement models leveraging social determinants of health data and funding around standards development around social determinants of health (SDOH) are up for consideration. Kim added that she saw at least 99 pieces of legislation related to health equity for congress to take action on. Pooja then asked Jocelyn if there are any rules she hopes get published or if she has a policy wish list. Jocelyn responded by agreeing with Kim that there is so much activity going on in the policy space. One of the things near and dear to her heart is prior authorization. She recounted that at the end of 2021, ONC was making progress in certifying people around prior authorization. CMS signaled via the unified agenda that they plan to pick back up the rules that were tabled during the administration transition. Jocelyn went on to say that she hopes to see rules that align the   industry on a shared path forward around prior authorization. A certain level of certainty is needed by the industry — from a policy perspective—to help spur them to pick up the implementation guides and work coming out of Da Vinci and other FHIR accelerators. Pooja asked Kim to weigh in on the future of prior authorization, specifically automating PA based on her work with CoverMyMeds and on the NCPDP ePA task group. Kim said that Jocelyn is on point. There has been an evolution in the healthcare ecosystem, especially on the medications front. CoverMyMeds has done a lot of work to move away from faxes, that there are still smaller payers that just aren't yet on board with ePA, but the needle is moving. This will be really important to ease the administrative burden for providers. If regulatory bodies require certification for ePA, that will help move the needle even further. She went on to say that as the standards bodies are evolving in their approach to automating PA, the regulatory bodies are paying attention and will hopefully issue policy that will support that work. Pooja then asked Jocelyn to weigh in on how creators of these tools can drive adoption and use outside of policies or rules to require use whether through user-based designs, establishing strong value models, or other methods. Jocelyn responded by saying that Kim touched on one of the topics earlier, which is to look at all the workflows holistically and make sure the tool being created is solving immediate problems faced by providers and giving them more information and transparency around eligibility and benefits for their patients. Before providers adopt a new tool, they are asking themselves “is this going to be better than what I'm using now?” The creators of these tools should also be evaluating their tools over time to determine what's working and what isn't and iteratively improving them. Jocelyn added that, ultimately, adoption is really a one butt in the seat at a time. It's important that any policy doesn't add additional burden to providers but, outside of policy, the creators of these tools need to ensure they are being mindful of the providers' workflows, and that the tool is usable and solving real problems. Ultimately, the reason we are in 2022 and still using faxes is that they solve the provider's immediate problem.Pooja then asked Jocelyn and Kim on how they would advise payers who work to adhere to new policies but are just checking the box and then asking “now what?”Jocelyn stated that the shift to standards-based design is a game changer. With the iterative approach of standards development at NCPDP and HL7, the standards development process is much more collaborative and iterative than in the past. Additionally, more testing is being done so the standards have already been road-tested before being named in policy. That makes it easier to meet some of these new rules. Ultimately, many of these new policies intend to unlock data, and stakeholders who are going to be successful will go beyond checking the box and will think more broadly about how this additional data can be leveraged across their organization. It's really about stakeholders mastering their data and how to best leverage the shift to APIs. Those that can take the time to do that planning, rather than just trying to meet deadlines of a new rule or piece of legislation, will be most successful. Kim agreed with Jocelyn's points, adding that while we're trying to make more data available for decision support, further upstream we're also talking about transparency. Data has to be usable and real time. The requirements from the CMS transparency & coverage final rule, the Medicare hospital outpatient perspective rule, and the No Surprises Act are all catalysts to improve the patient experience: the intent being to make us all more informed consumers. Operators in this space have a real opportunity to not only make this data more readily available to consumers but to help them understand it. We have a real health literacy issue in this country. Plans and providers need to factor this into their strategic initiative and position themselves as trusted resources for patients to better understand their data as a means to build brand loyalty. Jocelyn chimed in to say that back in July, payers all scrambled to meet the patient access API deadline. Some leapt across the line, some dragged themselves across the line. Everyone was at a different point when they started the work to meet this policy but they all met it. This step was one building block in building how we do business for the next several decades. The industry needs to take a collective breath and consider how we can set ourselves up for success and how can we move forward to make sure that each additional block we put in place is incrementally better. Jocelyn added that she and Kim both testified to a sub-group underNational Committee on Vital and Health Statistics(NCVHS) on the intersection of clinical and administrative information and talked about the needs to bring these two worlds back together. Everything ties back to the fact that to provide care, you've got to understand what the patient's coverage is. There is a relationship between care, quality, and the cost of the care. This isn't going to get fixed overnight. The idea of transparency is good but it has real-world implications on how we all do business. Pooja then shifted the discussion to cover compliance and enforcement. She mentioned that there has been a lot of shifts in deadline and delays in enforcement. Pooja asked Kim to weigh in on these shifts and changes and what stakeholders need to know. Kim relayed that although there have been delays in several rules, the policy teams and strategy teams should still be dedicated to evaluating and planning to comply. They should also be thinking about how to not only comply,but also factoring in how they can comply and how to leverage those rules to support more cost-effective use of healthcare services by both patients and providers. They should also be thinking about value-add services through these initiatives that will help build brand loyalty. Ultimately, stakeholders should be working to stay ahead of deadlines and moving forward in good faith. Jocelyn chimed in to say that many times policy guidance following legislation is really important to get the industry out of limbo. Many times, there might be abhorrent behavior as stakeholders try to meet a piece of legislation when they've misunderstood the intent or ways to really address it in a real-world setting. We should be recognizing that new policy and legislation are coming and to not panic until the final rule comes out. Because ONC and CMS are much more involved and providing some funding for some standards development, there are fewer shocks and surprises in recent policies.In an effort to close out the episode, Pooja asked both Kim and Jocelyn for last thoughts to leave with the audience. Kim conveyed that she advises everyone to just keep on pressing. If you have a policy team, work with them to align your strategic goals with policy requirements. Bring your SMEs to the table, highlight your organization successes out in the industry, work to educate and assist regulators to better understand the challenges and solutions that have shown promise. Also, work with the standards organizations and influence the standards development process which ultimately influences policy. Jocelyn's last thoughts were to point out that as the industry evolves, we are moving away from a place where only a small group of people within an organization are considered experts or in the know about interoperability but moving toward a reality where interoperability is just how we get things done. The organizations who are looking at interoperability holistically and doing the training across their organization are tightening partnerships, and really getting everyone in their organization ready to solve problems and respond to regulations. It's a much easier task when everyone in the organization has the understanding and can contribute to the solution. Pooja then closed out the first episode of 2022 by thanking Kim Boyd for joining us and to the audience for listening. She reminded the audience they can find past and future episodes on Spotify, Google Podcasts as well as HealthcareNOW Radio and other podcast carriers.       

First Healthcare Compliance hosts Sheba Vine, Attorney and Senior Manager in the Global Privacy Office at Exact Sciences Corporation, for an interactive discussion on “Recent Developments in Health Information Privacy: HIPAA Right of Access, NPRM, & Information Blocking.” This presentation will review recent developments including OCR Enforcement Highlights, HIPAA Right of Access & Ciox Health Decision, NPRM, and 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Regulation. The post Recent Developments in Health Information Privacy: HIPAA Right of Access, NPRM, & Information Blocking: Audio Version of the Webinar appeared first on First Healthcare Compliance.

First Healthcare Compliance hosts Sheba Vine, Attorney and Senior Manager in the Global Privacy Office at Exact Sciences Corporation, for an interactive discussion on “Recent Developments in Health Information Privacy: HIPAA Right of Access, NPRM, & Information Blocking.” This presentation will review recent developments including OCR Enforcement Highlights, HIPAA Right of Access & Ciox Health Decision, NPRM, and 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Regulation.

The Information Blocking Rule, which took effect in April 2021, was supposed to make it easier for Americans to get access to their health data. But many still find the process time-consuming and expensive. Deven McGraw, co-founder of the health data platform Ciitizen, sits down with Medical Economics to explain why, and why it matters to doctors. 

Presenters: Jake Lancaster MD, Chief Medical Information Officer and Pamela Popp JD, Chief Risk Officer for Gallagher Bassett Understand the information blocking rule and implications for your practice Learn about ways you can improve your documentation Learn about the risks of noncompliance with the information blocking rule CME Credit Info: Link to complete brief survey and claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C55LKSY (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C55LKSY) CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release date Contact CEOD@bmhcc.org if you have any questions about claiming credit. Faculty Disclosure: None of the hosts or guests have relevant financial interests to disclose. It is the policy of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation (BMHCC) to promote balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all educational activities; to require disclosure of relevant financial relationships from individuals engaged in content development or planning of a CME activity; to identify and resolve conflicts of interest related to those relationships; and to make disclosure information available to the audience prior to the CME activity. Presenters are required to disclose discussions of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentations.

October 15, 2021: Charles Boicey, CTO for Clearsense talks call centers, development, data science and information blocking with Bill. We need call centers to support so many parts of our conversation with the patient but they are not optimal. What is possible? What are the best practices? Where do development projects go off the rails? How do you manage outsource development partners? And where do we start with app development? How are we going to manage the information blocking rule? Is there any way to ensure our patients that the PHAs that connect to our EHR and request data on their behalf are safe?Key Points:NLP - Natural Language Processing and NLU - Natural Language Understanding [00:06:15] It's really important that you future-proof your assets [00:11:15] Development projects go off the rails initially when whatever we've conceived isn't in alignment with the board [00:18:38] What does low-code no-code look like? [00:23:16] Too much black boxing is going to hurt healthcare [00:34:25] Clearsense

The possibility of Patient Directed Interoperability in Healthcare? Think it will happen? FTA Apple's health data-sharing feature is now live in the latest version of iOS, allowing some users to give their clinicians information from their phone's Health app via their electronic health records.  The integration will https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/apple-adds-walking-stability-family-and-provider-health-sharing-and-more-wwdc-2021 (initially work) with six major EHR companies: Allscripts, athenahealth, Cerner, CPSI, DrChrono and Meditech Expanse.   "Having meaningful conversations with a doctor about everyday activities during a visit is a key part of managing health, but it can be difficult to remember the details," said Apple during a press release about the new feature in June.  Apple also announced on Tuesday that iOS 15 will allow users to store verifiable health records in the Health app, based on the SMART Health Cards specification.  "In an upcoming software update, they can also choose to add verifiable COVID-19 vaccination records as a vaccination card in Apple Wallet to present to businesses, venues and more," https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=7h3vwlh5 (said the company). Patients at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208647 (participating hospitals and health systems) were already able to view data about immunizations, lab results, medications and vitals directly in the Health app. Now, the new feature allows information to flow in the opposite direction. ---- #healthcare #healthIT #cio #cmio #chime #himss https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/apples-health-data-sharing-feature-now-live (https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/apples-health-data-sharing-feature-now-live)

In this episode, Sean and Amanda sit down and discuss Information Blocking and the misperceptions and misinformation that exists. Providers (physician practices, hospitals, health systems, etc.) need to understand their obligation(s) to providing patients access to their protected health information in a readable/useable format in a timely manner... Failure to comply can have significant financial repercussions (up to $1 million in fines). Don't miss this dynamic discussion!

One of the hallmarks of practicing medicine in the 21st century is the creation and maintenance of electronic health data.  Although much of the discussion around data is about ransomware, breaches, and EHR systems, that discussion is expanding.  The Office of Civil Rights is in the midst of a right of access initiative to help patients get their medical records.   The CURES Act addresses information blocking.  This marks a change of focus from rules surrounding the protection of medical data to the use and accessibility of that data. In this episode of SoundPractice, Mike Sacopulos interviews Deven McGraw, Chief Regulatory Officer for Ciitizen and former Deputy Director for Health Information Privacy at The Office of Civil Rights. Ms. McGraw will walk us through the rules for and status of Information Blocking. She will also cover the recent Office of Civil Rights' Right of Access Initiative policies surrounding the “Designated Records Set.”  Since HIPAA went into effect in 1996, healthcare providers have been endeavoring to safeguard patient data. After 25 years, prepare to shift your thinking. Join us for a look at healthcare data, patient privacy, and the law. Deven McGraw Co-Founder & Chief Regulatory Officer, Ciitizen.   deven@ciitizen.com Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org  

One of the hallmarks of practicing medicine in the 21st century is the creation and maintenance of electronic health data.  Although much of the discussion around data is about ransomware, breaches, and EHR systems, that discussion is expanding.  The Office of Civil Rights is in the midst of a right of access initiative to help patients get their medical records.   The CURES Act addresses information blocking.  This marks a change of focus from rules surrounding the protection of medical data to the use and accessibility of that data. In this episode of SoundPractice, Mike Sacopulos interviews Deven McGraw, Chief Regulatory Officer for Ciitizen and former Deputy Director for Health Information Privacy at The Office of Civil Rights. Ms. McGraw will walk us through the rules for and status of Information Blocking. She will also cover the recent Office of Civil Rights' Right of Access Initiative policies surrounding the “Designated Records Set.”  Since HIPAA went into effect in 1996, healthcare providers have been endeavoring to safeguard patient data. After 25 years, prepare to shift your thinking. Join us for a look at healthcare data, patient privacy, and the law. Deven McGrawCo-Founder & Chief Regulatory Officer, Ciitizen.  deven@ciitizen.comLearn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org  

BONUS EPISODEAs part of Policy Spotlight, a new virtual event series from Health Affairs, The Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal welcomed Micky Tripathi, the national coordinator for health information technology (IT), to an in-depth discussion of Biden administration's plans and priorities for health care data.The interview was conducted on July 1, 2021.At the Department of Health and Human Services, Micky Tripathi leads the formulation of the federal health IT strategy and coordinates federal health IT policies, standards, programs, and investments. Guest host David Blumenthal held the same post during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011.The discussion covered a number of topics, including information blocking, interoperability, Biden's equity project, social determinants of health data, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and much more.Policy Spotlights feature conversations with influential health policy experts in Washington, DC, and beyond. Interested in attending future events? Sign up for Health Affairs Today or Health Affairs Sunday Update newsletters to be the first to hear about the upcoming events. Health Affairs is grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund for their support of the “Affordable Care Act Turns 10” issue.Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts

What did you think of the podcast? Contact AHIMA's Matt Schlossberg matt.schlossberg@ahima.orgAccess our Information Blocking resource page for more content and case studies regarding this rule: https://ahima.org/news-publications/trending-topics/information-blocking/  

Wander through he recent episodes with Jamie and Sarah as they answer YOUR questions and clarify some tricky topics.

For this episode of Health+Tech, join Lauren Riplinger, vice president of policy and government affairs at AHIMA, and McGuireWoods healthcare partner Janice Suchyta, who co-leads the firm's digital health group. Discussion will cover the following topics: The new Cures Act patient access rule and how to comply with the open notes requirements Trends in health information interoperability among healthcare entities Compliance needs for information-blocking rules and exceptions

Brad Trudell discusses information blocking and small practices and breaks down what information blocking is.

Matthew Michela, President and CEO of Life Image, discusses ONC information-blocking rules and strategies practices can take to ensure compliance.

Is October 2022 on your calendar yet? Beyond being my birthday month, it is also when the Information Blocking rule goes to the next set of data, unstructured data.FTAAs of April 5, 2021, healthcare providers, certified health IT developers, and health information exchanges (HIEs) needed to abide by the information blocking regulations. Yet, Tripathi wants healthcare organizations to look at the larger picture, with several compliance dates on the horizon within the next 18 months.In 18 months, the floodgates will open, making healthcare organizations responsible for sharing that structured data as well as some unstructured data, presenting a bigger challenge, Tripathi said.-------Wouldn't it be great if we didn't fight this or procrastinate but rather build out the framework and establish a core set of partners who use the data on behalf of our patients and community to further health goals?A man can dream.#cio #cmio #healthIT #healthcare #chime #himss #interoperabilityhttps://ehrintelligence.com/news/amp/onc-leader-tripathi-offers-tips-for-interoperability-rule-success

Do you know what Information Blocking is in context of the 21st Century Cures Act? Is your health system compliant?If this recent survey is any indication, you don't and you may not even care.FTA70% of participants in the Life Image survey said they were aware of the rules going into effect, up to half reported noncompliant practices – including charging patients fees to obtain records or sharing records via paper or CDs.Nearly half of respondents said they had either not made any changes or did not know how to ensure their facility met requirements.Two-thirds of the healthcare organization said they still used paper for healthcare data, and 32% used CDs.And 39% did not know they risked civil monetary penalties for information blocking practices, and 15% currently charge $25 or more for patients to obtain records.Nearly half – 48% – said they were not aware of practices that would be considered "information blocking."---Patient centered interoperability is the single most important advancement in health IT in the past decade. This is law by way of the 21st Century Cures Act and clarified in rules drafted by ONC.Do we really not know?#healthcare #healthIT #cio #cmio #chime #himss

I believe that patient initiated interoperability will be the single biggest driver of innovation.  That starts today with the advent of the information blocking rules.  Innovators that can gather consumers and provide them a valuable service that utilizes their health record will be granted access to that information by the patient.  The health systems and payers in the future will have to comply or risk significant fines.  What will the patient do?  What will the innovators come up with?  I have no idea, but I do know that the potential is there for exciting innovation.Are there challenges.  You bet.  The scope is daunting to the EHR providers and systems.  some definitions need some clarity according to some of the participants.  But in the end, the patient has just been made the locus for information sharing around their health record.  Should be fun to watch.

For more of AHIMA’s information blocking resources, visit our information blocking landing page here and at the Journal of AHIMA.What did you think of the podcast? Contact AHIMA's Mike Bittner at michael.bittner@ahima.org.  

In this podcast, we take closer look at the information blocking rule: where it came from, who it affects, how it works, and what it means for PTs and PTAs.

Partner Vimala Devassy and Associate Kyle Gregory discuss how recent regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) represent the latest effort to break down these barriers to interoperability between the staggering amounts of data generated by the healthcare industry.  Questions and Comments: vdevassy@bakerlaw.com, kgregory@bakerlaw.com

Hosts: Henry Sullivant MD, Chief Medical Officer; Jake Lancaster MD, Chief Medical Information Officer Guests: Waid Ray, Associate Chief Legal Council; Laura Cummins, Corporate Privacy and Security Officer Music: Hank Sullivant Learning Objectives: - Learn about the exceptions to the information blocking rule and when they do and don't apply - Understand documentation requirements to justify information blocking - Learn about penalties and plans to enforce the information blocking rule - Learn about at home testing and other changes in testing technique Helpful links: https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2021-01/information-blocking-part-1.pdf Annals of Internal Medicine Article ACP 21st Century Cures Act Practice Resources HealthIT.gov Cures Act Final Rule Open Notes and Oncology https://www.healthit.gov/curesrule/resources/information-blocking-faqs Link to CME https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C55LKSY None of the hosts or guests have financial interests to disclose. CME is available for up to 3 years after the stated release date. Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation is accredited by the Mississippi State Medical Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians. BMHCC designates this enduring material for a maximum of .5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. It is the policy of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation (BMHCC) to promote balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all educational activities; to require disclosure of relevant financial relationships from individuals engaged in content development or planning of a CME activity; to identify and resolve conflicts of interest related to those relationships; and to make disclosure information available to the audience prior to the CME activity. Presenters are required to disclose discussions of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentations.

Hosts: Henry Sullivant MD, Chief Medical Officer Jake Lancaster MD, Chief Medical Information Officer Music: Hank Sullivant Learning Objectives: Understand the 21st Century Cure's Act Information Blocking Rule Learn about what changes go into effect on November 2nd Learn about exceptions to the rule and ways you can stay in compliance Link to CME https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C55LKSY (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C55LKSY) None of the hosts or guests have financial interests to disclose. CME is available for up to 3 years after the stated release date. Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation is accredited by the Mississippi State Medical Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians. BMHCC designates this enduring material for a maximum of .5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. It is the policy of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation (BMHCC) to promote balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all educational activities; to require disclosure of relevant financial relationships from individuals engaged in content development or planning of a CME activity; to identify and resolve conflicts of interest related to those relationships; and to make disclosure information available to the audience prior to the CME activity. Presenters are required to disclose discussions of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentations.

Matthew chats with ONC's Deputy National Coordinator Steven Posnack (@HealthIT_Policy) on the recent ONC Cures Act Final Rule, how innovation will aid in the battle against COVID-19 and the financial impact providers are facing during the pandemic. 

The panel and guest, David Szabo, Co-Chair of the Health Care practice, a Partner in the Corporate and Transactional Department, and a member of the Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice Group with Locke Lord, LLP continued the discussion from Part 1 by shifting the focus to the complexities of price transparency. Not only with what data is needed to provide meaningful information about the price patient's can expect to pay but to how widely this information should be expected to be shared without crossing a line to reveal contract details that companies may feel are proprietary. There has been a push by this administration to increase transparency of contract prices as well. This has been responded to in a patchwork of approaches. Ultimately, the panelists and guest agreed that the importance and impact of price transparency on patients is different in situations whether the patient is experiencing a chronic illness or an acute episode.  When a patient is in the middle of an emergency shopping around for price goes out the window. Price transparency for chronic or scheduled elective procedures may be where work around meaningful price transparency will progress more quickly. The panelists and guest then moved to discuss data privacy and patient consent.  As patients begin to adopt 3rd party health apps and consent for their physicians to share their data with these 3rd party applications, data privacy no longer falls under HIPAA. Physicians may play a role in encouraging patients to carefully read privacy policies for these apps, however, physicians ultimately don't have any control over what the patient chooses to do with their data. The discussion talked about the philosophy driving these rules is the fervent belief that the more data patients have, the better decisions they will make which remains to be seen. Data in these apps could be used by pharmaceutical companies to better track efficacy data in the real world. Will FTC have a bigger role in enforcement/protection of health data shared with 3rd party apps? Szabo felt that congress would need to grant more powers to FTC for them to get into the role of mandating a minimum amount of protections versus their current role which is to investigate after a breach or misuse of data has already occurred.What should payers, health IT vendors, and providers be doing? Szabo recommends that everyone get ready. Have an interoperability policy that addresses your obligations and lays out a framework for the rules and exceptions. Ken added that stakeholders should take this time to consider how their policies and long term health IT strategies will make healthcare better rather than meet the minimum regulations requirements. 

Gary Austin kicked off the podcast by introducing Ken and Jocelyn who provided their opening comments on the ONC and CMS rules, information blocking and telehealth. Gary then introduced David Szabo before kicking off the discussion around the CMS & ONC Rules where they discussed how much enforcement teeth these rules carry and the opportunities for innovation for forward thinking organizations. The discussion then moved to information blocking where the group discussed why it may matter if an organization inadvertently blocks information because they don't understand the regulations versus organizations which may blatantly block information. There are implications not only for health IT companies but for payer and provider organizations. The group then moved to discuss the implications for patients when they consent to their clinical information to be shared with a 3rd party app outside of the protection of HIPAA. This is especially important because most consumers don't read the 10 page agreements they need to "consent to" before using an app. The group then tackled the explosion of use of telehealth which may have been an operational challenge for some providers. In the midst of COVID-19 there are waivers, relaxation of the site of practice and mandated reimbursements levels which may change once the pandemic wanes. With claims going up by as much as 1000% in some areas, there is also a huge risk for fraud. Look forward to Part 2 which covers price transparency and pick up the conversation around data privacy issues that may arise due to information blocking regulations and the priorities organizations should put on complying with new rules and regulations and developing interoperability roadmaps and agreements.