With care providers facing ongoing challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may push back the information blocking and interoperability deadlines, according to Healthcare Dive.

“We've had some adjustments to the timing of our rule and the companion CMS rule, and we're monitoring closely the situation in terms of further adjustments," Don Rucker, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, said at a recent CB Insight's Future of Health conference – as highlighted in the Healthcare Dive article. “All I can say at this point is we're actively aware of the COVID pandemic and looking at any needed changes.”

As the November 2nd ONC Interoperability Rule deadline is less than one month away, many health IT vendors are also pushing back by seeking an extension.

The new rules would require healthcare providers to give patients access to their health information – including clinical notes – and cease information blocking. EHRs must also be able to connect with third-party software through standard application program interfaces (APIs).

While many speculate that the deadline will be pushed back, it’s never too early to prepare to be compliant.

As Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project, recently discussed with us in a RosettaHealth podcast interview, there are tools that can help aid in compliance. For example, The Sequoia Project is offering an Information Blocking Compliance Boot Camp, as well as a number of compliance resources in the form of free tools, checklists, reports and webinars

As the entire care arena develops plans for achieving compliance for the potentially new interoperability deadlines, the right health data exchange platform can help to achieve compliance, while also dramatically improving overall care quality.

RosettaHealth can assist with any health information challenges you might have, book a free consultation with one of our interoperability experts.