Individuals seeking government benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance spend a lot of time waiting. In particular, the Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates it takes over 200 days for an initial disability claim to be processed. Part of that time delay includes SSA’s efforts to find out where relevant medical records may be, request them from your health care provider(s), and the time it takes your providers to respond. Ultimately, it costs SSA (and thus taxpayers) over 500 million dollars a year to collect and create medical evidence for applicants.

New data is now available for public use that helps inform the history and current state of the certified health IT market. We explore that in this blog post, which is part of our new Digital Dividends series.

In response to a requirement in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, the ASTP/ONC prepared a report on the use of data standards for laboratory data exchange. The report explores data standards adoption and impact at each step of the laboratory workflow, from ordering through sharing the results with patients, providers, public health agencies, and more. This report is grounded in independent research, consultation with subject matter experts, and interviews and input from across the laboratory ecosystem.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has directed HHS to increase resources dedicated to curbing the harmful practice of information blocking. HHS will take an active enforcement against health care entities that restrict patients’ engagement in their care by blocking the access, exchange, and use of electronic health information.

HHS’ final rule ensures that health care providers using certified health IT systems are able to submit prior authorizations electronically, select drugs consistent with a patient’s insurance coverage, and exchange electronic prescription information with pharmacies and insurance plans.