Health Information Compliance Alert

Industry Notes:

Feds Draft New HIT and Patient Access Manifesto

Tip: Offer your 2 cents on the draft ASAP.

Over the last few years, many federal healthcare policies have been put forward to improve care coordination, patient engagement, and interoperability. The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released a new five-year strategy to align with the 21st Century Cures Act and improve federal health IT.

Details: The HHS Office for the National Coordinator on Health Information Technology (ONC) in coordination with 25 other federal organizations revealed a list of health IT objectives, goals, and provisions titled the “2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan.”

The feds acknowledge that most providers now use EHRs and most patients utilize smartphones or other technologies; however, sometimes the transfer of data to improve clinical outcomes is clunky and impedes care, an HHS release on the plan suggests. One of the primary goals of the plan is to improve data systems in a “fully connected health system that empowers patients, caregivers, and their healthcare providers to securely access, exchange, and use electronic health information,” explains an HHS release on the plan.

 “The draft federal strategic plan supports the provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act that will help to bring electronic health information into the hands of patients through smartphone applications,” said Don Rucker, MD, ONC national coordinator in a release. 

The public is encouraged to read the plan and comment by the deadline March 18, 2020 at  www.healthit.gov/topic/2020-2025-federal-health-it-strategic-plan.