While HIMSS20 was put on the back-burner due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus this week, it did not stop HHS from publishing its long-awaited Interoperability rules.

According to HHS, the new rules are the most extensive healthcare data-sharing policies yet implemented by the federal government, and aims to hold public and private entities accountable for enabling easy electronic access to health information.

While the announcement of the new rules just came out on Monday of this week, there’s already been a wave of industry comments and feedback:

• Cerner: “We encourage the immediate release of the ONC and CMS interoperability rules because health care is too important to stay the same. And we believe that in a seamless and connected world, everyone thrives,” said Brent Shafer, Cerner CEO, in this blog post.

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Association: “Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies believe empowering consumers with the right information at the right time, and in a secure way, is critical to driving positive health outcomes. This starts with the seamless flow of health information among patients, doctors, hospitals and insurance companies, stronger privacy and security measures to protect personal health information, and more advanced data sharing standards to improve and simplify the healthcare experience,” said Justine Handelman of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association here.

• American Medical Association (AMA): “The AMA has been advocating on behalf of physicians and patients for over 10 years to ensure EHR usability, interoperability, and patient data and safety are top concerns when government agencies develop new policies. We applied this knowledge and momentum as we worked with CMS and ONC in anticipation of today’s release of the final rule. As the AMA reviews the new rules, we will pay special attention to policies aimed at creating efficiencies in data exchange, reduction in physician burden, and patient control over and access to their data,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, in this press release.

• The CrowdCare Foundation: “If we are serious about curing cancer and other terminal diseases, then it is time we get serious about giving value back to the patient – value in the form of information. We stand behind the HHS and believe that this decision is an imperative first step in empowering patients and pushing research forward,” said Jenny Ahlstrom, founder of the CrowdCare Foundation, in this press release.

• Epic Customers: The vast majority of hospitals using an Epic EHR support the government’s information blocking regulation, placing them at odds with the health IT vendor that has been vocal against the rule in its current form, according to this study that was published last week.

In addition, here’s an interesting take on the new interoperability rule “winners and losers” from Becker’s Hospital Review. Be sure to catch up on all of our health data exchange-related content below.

• Industry Rift Over HHS Interoperability Rules Grows Even Wider

• DirectTrust Facilitates 811 Million Data Exchange Transactions in 2019

• 2020 ONC Annual Meeting News: The Industry Rift Over Interoperability Rules and Patient Identifier Gains Traction

• ONC Announces Strategic Plan and Interoperability Standards Updates in Advance of Annual Meeting

• 2020 ONC Annual Meeting to Highlight Bringing the EHR to the Patient

• QHN and CORHIO Partner to Enhance Health Data Exchange Capabilities in Colorado

• New Program in Michigan to Serve as HIE for Advancing Population Health

• PODCAST: Four Innovative Use Cases for Enhancing Value for HIEs

• Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services and Great Lakes Health Connect Merge to Enhance Health Data Sharing

• Preparing for the Final ONC, CMS Interoperability Rules

• DirectTrust Triples Number of Health Data Transactions in Q3

• The Sequoia Project Advances Health Data Interoperability Mission as TEFCA Coordinator

• TEFCA Comments Point to Industry Concerns About Interoperability

• CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Rule Positive for HIEs

• Roundup of Industry Feedback on the ONC Interoperability Rule

• Information Blocking and Health Data Exchange Challenges Addressed on Capitol Hill

• What’s Next After the Second Iteration of TEFCA?

• Major EHR Vendors Reveal Their Interoperability Efforts

• Seventy-Five Percent of Hospitals Beyond Basic Level of Interoperability

• The New Definition of Healthcare Interoperability

• PODCAST: Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project, Discusses New Information Blocking Working Group

• Healthcare Interoperability at a Turning Point?

• The Sequoia Project’s New Working Group Focuses on Information Blocking

• Tackling Health Data Interoperability in 2019

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