Advancing Health IT and Preventing Data Blocking through Model Contract Language

By ANDY SLAVITT and VINDELL WASHINGTON, MD As we move to transform the health care system into one that delivers more coordinated care across various clinicians and providers, it is important that data is available to providers and patients when and where they need it. To achieve this goal of ensuring the flow of health data and, ultimately, better care, the country has invested in the technology and infrastructure to connect patients’ clinical experiences. That is why CMS and ONC are working together to make sure this investment stays on the right track. We are simplifying regulations, taking steps to require open technology, and have released a Health IT Playbook to help clinicians assess their needs and navigate the electronic health record (EHR) market. In addition, today we are releasing an EHR contracting guide  – EHR Contracts Untangled: Selecting Wisely, Negotiating Terms, and Understanding the Fine Print – that will help clinicians and hospitals make sure that contract terms do not inhibit the utility of their EHR technologies. Quite simply, our health care system cannot realize the promise of EHRs if information cannot flow across practices – and to and from patients – easily and in a cost-efficient manner. The growing maturity of the health information technology market presents health care providers with new, varied, complex, and often confusing choices about EHR systems. From the small practice manager exploring new cloud-based EHR products and service...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs