HITEQ Resources & Events

Patient use of their health information accessible to them through online tools (e.g., patient portals and smartphone apps) can help empower them to make informed decisions about their health and track progress on health-related goals, potentially resulting in improved patient outcomes (1). Enabling patients to access and use the information contained in online medical records and patient portals may also provide significant health system benefits, including decreased healthcare costs and strengthened patient- physician relationships (1). In 2020, ONC published the Cures Act Final Rule to increase patient and provider access to health-related data, specifically through health IT developer adoption of secure standardized application programming interfaces (APIs) that make this information more widely available across smartphone apps (2). The API requirements, which as of 2023 have been rolled out to health care providers, enable patients to electronically access their electronic health information using apps. This brief analyzes recent data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, to assess progress in patient access amidst implementation of Cures Rule provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which likely increased demand for access to online medical records. This brief also reports on methods and frequency of individuals’ access and use of online medical records and patient portals.

CoE-PHI resource that describes the Information Blocking Rule and explains that it does not preempt stricter privacy laws and regulations such as 42 CFR Part 2.

Key Points:

• Information blocking includes practices that would “interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information.”
• Following a legal requirement to obtain patient consent for a disclosure meets the “privacy exception” in the Information Blocking Rule and is not considered information blocking.
• If a portal cannot segment Part 2-protected records or prevent a patient’s proxy from unconsented access to such records, the healthcare provider should not share Part 2-protected records on the portal.

Digital patient engagement investments is a broad category that includes all digital health tools your health center uses to reach and support patients. These include patient portals, messaging and outreach apps, remote patient monitoring tools, and mHealth apps. Despite the hopes and promises of new technologies, implementation of digital tools in health centers can be uneven and siloed, hindering progress on adoption, engagement, and transformation.

Recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy is bringing patients unprecedented access to their health information. Join the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in September for an event focused on patient access to health data. The day will bring together patients, providers, payers, and health IT developers to discuss how HHS policies are working in practice and how to maximize the impact of these policies. The event will also highlight educational tools and resources, such as patient-facing apps that enable the availability of patient information and make that health information easier to understand.

Come to the ONC and CMS patient access event to hear more about…

Patients’ experiences accessing their data, including the benefits and challenges they faced along this journey. How the next generation of apps are connecting across new health information sources to bring together patients’ data and preferred tools to act on that data. Clinicians who are at the forefront of helping patients access and understand their data, recognizing patient preferences and privacy concerns. Innovative developers demonstrating how they are making patients’ data actionable, and the implementation challenges they face as they connect sources across the care continuum Health care payers’ their successes and challenges with making data available to patients. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the latest developments in patient data access and how you can be a part of the path forward.

Registration details to follow soon! Until then, you can find valuable information and resources about the patient’s right to their data on our website. If you would be interested in sharing a patient experience with accessing and using patient data, please share with us at https://www.healthit.gov/feedback.
 

Succeeding with value based care requires using and understanding your health center's clinical and payer data in new and more specific ways. This webinar discussed two key areas where health centers may need to build capability or new processes:

• Managed care payer and payment information to conduct strategic review of health plan contracts.

• The challenge and importance of coding specificity for adequate risk adjustment and quality measurement in value based care arrangements with health plans.

HITEQ will be joined by subject matter experts from Primary Care Development Corporation and Starling Advisors who will share resources for developing these areas within your own health center.