Going the Extra Mile to Support Patient Access Is a Win-Win for Patients and HIE Compliance

The following is a guest article by Deven McGraw, Co-Founder of Ciitizen® and Lead for Data Stewardship and Data Sharing at Invitae Corporation
HIEs and HINs Should take Key Actions Now to Prepare for the Enforcement of the Information Blocking Rules
On Sept. 1, 2023, enforcement of the 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Rule goes into effect, putting teeth into the much-celebrated law that enables patients to have full access to their personal health data.
Some health information exchanges and health information networks (HIEs) have been preparing for this moment, knowing full well the steep statutory penalties for noncompliance created by the rule. Unless a clear exemption applies, HIEs will be responsible for turning over patient health records upon request, and quickly: If the OIG determines that an individual or entity has committed information blocking, they may be subject to up to a $1 million penalty per violation.
If history is any indication, many HIEs are underprepared for supplying patients with their health records. HIEs frequently don’t have direct relationships with patients and often lack staff for supporting direct patient-facing tasks such as identity proofing and help desk.
Over the next few months, HIEs will need to strengthen their technology, policies, and procedures to fully align with the new rule and ensure everything runs smoothly.
What’s at Stake
One can’t overstate how critical it is for patients to have prompt access to their data...

Source: EMR and HIPAA - August 16, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Guest Author Tags: C-Suite Leadership Health IT Company Healthcare IT HIM Interoperability Regulations Security and Privacy Carequality Ciitizen CommonWell Deven McGraw eHealth Exchange Health Data Sharing Health Information Exchanges Health Reco Source Type: blogs