Health Information Exchange (HIE) is happening every minute of every day. Your personal health information is moving and being viewed to improve the quality of your healthcare and lower the costs. The job will not be complete until all health records are digital and interoperable. Here’s what’s happening to make that reality.
Events
4th Annual Current and Future State of Interoperability Panel Discussion
When: Tuesday, December 17, 2019 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET
On our 4th annual Current and Future State of Interoperability, our moderator and panelists discuss two complimentary access rules that look to move the entire industry to full-scale Interoperability.
The Interoperability and Patient Access rules are the driving force behind the belief that patients own their health data and need to be able to easily access it. Together, the two rules – one from CMS and the other from the ONC – address both technical and healthcare industry factors that have historically created industry barriers to Interoperability. Both rules also support Interoperability and data blocking as part of implementing the 21st Century Cures act.
Join moderator healthcare attorney Matt Fisher and this year’s line-up of industry leaders as the panel discuss the impact of these two rules set to go in to effect in 2020, as well as farther-reaching implications.
2020 ONC Annual Meeting
When: January 27-28, 2020
Where: JW Marriott, Washington DC
#ONC2020 Annual Meeting Registration is Open – Register today for the 2020 ONC Annual Meeting! This year’s event, Connecting Policy and Technology: Bringing the EHR to the Patient, will be held January 27-28 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC and will gather approximately 1,200 health IT partners for a combination of plenaries and breakout sessions covering a variety of health IT, healthcare, and innovation topics. Make your hotel reservation no later than December 3, 2019 to access the special group rate at the JW Marriott.
News and Noted
EHNAC Releases New 2020 Accreditation Criteria Versions for Public Review through Dec. 31
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (@EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, announced that it has posted new versions of program criteria of its 18 accreditation programs for public review. The open process for adopting criteria will commence on Nov. 1, 2019 and end on Dec. 31, 2019.
DirectTrust Announces Second Annual Summit
DirectTrust (@DirectTrustorg) announced its Second Annual DirectTrust Summit will be held at the Washington Marriott Georgetown in Washington, DC, June 9-10, 2020. DirectTrust also announced its Call for Speaker Proposals is now open to health information industry experts interested in speaking at the Summit.
Now Available: Interoperability Forum Slides and Recording
Video from ONC’s 3rd Interoperability Forum’s plenary sessions is now available on HealthIT.gov. Catch up on what was said by NHSX’s Deputy Chief Executive, Dr. Simon Eccles, FDA’s Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Dr. Amy Abernethy, National Coordinator, Don Rucker, and Deputy National Coordinator, Steve Posnack. Observations from track sessions were covered as part of the day 2 wrap up. View the slides and recording.
OCR HIPAA Right of Access FAQs: The HHS Office for Civil Rights released FAQs about the HIPAA right of access as it relates to apps designated by individual patients and application programming interfaces used by a healthcare provider’s electronic health record system. Read the OCR Patient Right of Access FAQs.
To Read
What is a Platform? by John Halamka MD – This month I’ll deliver several keynote addresses. In my presentations, I’ll use terms such as platform enterprises, platform thinking, and platform strategy. But what is a platform? Is it just a collection of standards? If so, is a USB flash drive a platform, since I can transfer a file from my Chromebook to someone else’s Macbook using it, in a low effort, low cost fashion?
HIE and Standards Organizations
The Sequoia Project
The Sequoia Project (@SequoiaProject) was chartered to advance the implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The ONC transitioned management of its eHealth Exchange to The Sequoia Project for maintenance. Since 2012, the Exchange has grown to become the largest health information exchange network in the country.
The Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative
SHIEC (@SHIEClive) is the National Trade Association for Health Information Exchange Organizations. It is routine for important data about patients’ ongoing care to reside in multiple unconnected organizations. SHIEC member HIEs use information technology and trusted relationships in their service areas to enable secure, authorized exchange of patient information among disparate providers. By providing enhanced access to all available and relevant patient data SHIEC HIE members aim to improve the quality, coordination, and cost-effectiveness of health care provided in their communities. Read their news feed.
The CommonWell
CommonWell Health Alliance (@CommonWell) is devoted to the simple vision that health data should be available to individuals and providers regardless of where care occurs. Additionally, provider access to this data must be built-in health IT at a reasonable cost for use by a broad range of health care providers and the people they serve.
We’re so excited to announce Paul L. Wilder as our new executive director! https://t.co/mAVv52USRQ #InteropDoneRight pic.twitter.com/8lzkxnkvrx
— CommonWell (@CommonWell) December 10, 2019
Resources
4 Emerging Trends in Patient Identification
The issue of inadequate patient matching and duplicate records has grown increasingly complex as more data is generated and more applications are introduced into the healthcare environment. As data sharing matures and the industry pivots toward value, an enterprise view of patient information is essential for informed clinical-decision making, effective episodic care, and a seamless patient-provider experience during every encounter.
Download this eBook by NextGate to see how developing technologies are shaping patient matching efforts today and into the future.
eHealth Initiative Resource Center
Interoperability Files – Check out the new white paper resource in the eHealth Initiative’s (@eHealthDC) Resource Center: Data exchanges based on blockchain in m-Health applications
ONC Interoperability Pledge
Companies that provide 90 percent of electronic health records used by hospitals nationwide as well as the top five largest health care systems in the country have agreed to implement three core commitments: Consumer Access, No Blocking/Ensuring Transparency, and Standards. The ONC (@ONC_HealthIT) wants vendors to sign a pledge. Is your vendor pledging? Find out who is on the list.