ONC & CMS Proposed Rules | Part 2: Interoperability

By DAVE LEVIN MD  The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have proposed final rules on interoperability, data blocking and other activities as part of implementing the 21st Century Cures Act. In this series, we will explore the ideas behind the rules, why they are necessary and the expected impact. Given that these are complex and controversial topics open to interpretation, we invite readers to respond with their own ideas, corrections and opinions. You can find Part 1 of the series here.  ____________ In 2016, Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act with specific goals to “advance interoperability and support the access, exchange and use of electronic health information.” The purpose was to spur innovation and competition in health IT while ensuring patients and providers have ready access to the information and applications they need. The free flow of data and the ability for applications to connect and exchange it “without special effort” are central to and supported by a combination of rules proposed by ONC and CMS. These rules address both technical requirements and expected behaviors. In this article, we look at specific technical and behavioral requirements for interoperability. Future articles will examine data blocking and other behavioral issues. Compatible “Plugs and Sockets” The proposed rules explicitly mandate the adoption and use of application programming interface (API) technology (or a s...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Policy Health Technology data blocking Dave Levin Interoperability ONC Rules Sansoro Health Source Type: blogs