Information Blocking

Portrait of Micky Tripathi

Consequences for Information Blocking: New Proposals to Establish Disincentives for Health Care Providers

Micky Tripathi | October 30, 2023

A new proposed rule released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) details HHS’ first steps for holding health care providers accountable for information blocking under the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act). Specifically, the “21st Century Cures Act: Establishment of Disincentives for Health Care Providers That Have Committed Information Blocking” proposed rule proposes to establish a department-wide regulatory framework for managing disincentives and proposes an initial set of appropriate disincentives in Centers for Medicare &

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Portrait of Jordan Everson

Updated Insights on Hospital Leaders’ Perceptions of Information Blocking

Jordan Everson | June 14, 2023

In a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA), we leveraged data from the 2020 American Hospital Association (AHA) Information Technology Supplement gathered from April-June 2021, shortly after the initial applicability date of the information blocking regulations (April 5, 2021). We found that 42% of hospitals perceived that at least one type of information blocking “actor” (health care provider, health information network/health information exchange, or health IT developer of certified health IT) engaged in practices that may constitute information blocking.

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Portrait of Rachel Nelson

Information Blocking Regulations Work in Concert with HIPAA Rules and Other Privacy Laws to Support Health Information Privacy

Rachel Nelson | April 12, 2023

We often get asked about how ONC’s information blocking regulations and HHS’ Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules (HIPAA Rules) interact with one another. To help clarify, ONC just released a few new information blocking frequently asked questions (FAQs) that illustrate how the federal regulations interact. This post also reviews how the information blocking regulations interact with the HIPAA Privacy Rule and other laws that impose specific restrictions on information sharing to protect the privacy of an individual’s health information.

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Portrait of Jordan Everson

New Study Shows Patients Prefer Immediate Access to Test Results and have Unmet Information Needs

Jordan Everson | March 20, 2023

A recent study of 8,000 patients that accessed their test results via an online patient portal found that more than 95% wanted to continue to immediately receive test results through their portal. That percentage stayed at 95% when focused on patients with non-normal results.
These findings come amid concerns that the immediate release of test results could lead to patient distress when patients access test results before their physicians could contact them and help to interpret those results.

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Portrait of Steven Posnack

Information Blocking: Eight Regulatory Reminders for October 6th

Steven Posnack | September 30, 2022

On October 6, 2022, we reach the end of the more than two-year glide path laid out for the information blocking regulations. Moving forward, expect to see periodic, experience-driven regulatory updates as well as continued work on education, outreach, and oversight, including the establishment of disincentives for health care providers. There may also be the possibility of information blocking advisory opinions if Congress grants the Secretary such authority.

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