In December 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law, making national headlines for creating new programs and advancing regulatory reforms to speed the development and approval of new drugs and medical devices. Other provisions in the bipartisan law sought to address the opioid crisis, support precision medicine, and increase access to behavioral health services.
Still, the most important part of the Cures Act for the health IT industry and most healthcare providers focused on advancing health data interoperability through a combination of new and/or revised programs, mandates, and rules. Given the importance of these provisions and since it has now been over five years since the law was enacted, let’s check in on the status of the key health IT provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act.
In his blog, 21st Century Cures Act: Five Years Later, Chris Emper, Government Affairs Advisor at NextGen Healthcare explores the final rule in more detail, reviews EHR certification updates and requirements, delves into Information Blocking, and explains the impact of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) and what all this means to your practice.
For more information on the 21st Century Cures Act, listen to our podcast.