As the partial government shutdown moves into its fourth week, healthcare IT industry stakeholders continue waiting for a set of proposed regulations that were anticipated months ago from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implementing interoperability provisions required by the 21st Century Cures Act.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) submitted their proposals to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last fall, the final stage in the review process before regulations are released to the public. However, as OMB and other federal entities remain shuttered by the government shutdown, officials have said that the office will not be able to conclude its review of the rules until funding is restored.
The 21st Century Cures Act requires HHS to issue regulations to prevent “information blocking” and also to identify activities that do not constitute information blocking. The law also requires ONC to implement a standardized process for the public to report claims of information blocking and interoperability issues pertaining to healthcare IT developers.
NextGen Healthcare Analysis: Along with other Industry stakeholders, NextGen Healthcare has been eagerly anticipating the proposed interoperability regulations and looks forward to reviewing and offering public comment to HHS upon the release of these proposals upon conclusion of the government shutdown. NextGen Healthcare is dedicated to health IT interoperability and the fluid exchange of healthcare information between patients, providers and other stakeholders as a means of improving quality and lowering the cost of care. We also recognize a number of challenges with respect to data exchange and the need to adopt common standards and frameworks that protect patient safety and privacy by making data accurate, timely, reliable and secure.