Coalition seeks clarity on provisions in proposed rules that could increase provider burden and stop short of achieving widespread interoperability
WASHINGTON, DC (March 25, 2019): Health Innovation Alliance, the coalition formerly known as Health IT Now, spoke out today on proposed rules to address information blocking and interoperability challenges ahead of the Senate HELP Committee’s planned hearing on implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act.
Health Innovation Alliance Executive Director Joel White released the following statement:
“Patients and taxpayers have waited years for regulators to act to end information blocking because it threatens patient safety, raises health costs, and adds to provider burden and burnout. ONC’s own numbers show that we could save more than $3 billion in provider hours by getting this right, so we must not settle for weak rules that add to the regulatory headache facing doctors without delivering on their promises.”
“So while we are pleased that, at long last, progress has been made toward fulfilling the promise of 21st Century Cures and holding information blockers to account, we believe the proposed rules are in need of further reform.”
“Specifically, we are concerned that the proposed rules could increase provider burdens, including keeping doctors on the hook for vendors’ technology costs. ONC should adopt standards that promote interoperability, including standards that are normalized, eliminate custom tweaking, and that make interfacing simple and inexpensive. We will work to ensure the final rules are the best approach to achieving widespread interoperability in a timely fashion.”
About Health Innovation Alliance:
We are patient groups, provider organizations, employers, insurers, and startup innovators committed to transforming healthcare. The Health Innovation Alliance (formerly Health IT Now) exists to improve healthcare by advancing healthcare connectivity, unlocking the abundance of useful data in our healthcare system, modernizing data privacy, and fundamentally redefining care delivery. Learn more at Health-Innovation.org.