With nearly 100% of community health centers utilizing electronic health records (EHR) to care for patients, focus has pivoted from implementation and new workflow development to enhancement in order to drive value and reflect patient needs and population trends. EHR technology presents potential opportunities and significant constraints. Providers frequently document and share potentially sensitive information in the EHR, such as risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), consistent offers of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), or patient sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Capturing such information can be immensely helpful in providing care tailored to individuals’ needs, but additionally challenges teams to develop workflows that keep the data private rather than risk harm to patients through improper or unintended disclosure.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Rule (Info Blocking Rule) prohibits covered actors – including health care providers, health IT developers of certified health IT, and health information exchanges/health information networks– from engaging in practices likely to interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). The Info Blocking Rule includes eight exceptions that provide actors with certainty that, when their practice interferes with the access, exchange, or use of EHI and meets the conditions of one or more exception, such practice will not be considered information blocking. An actor’s practice that does not meet all the conditions of an exception will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether information blocking has occurred.

Many health centers struggle to reap the benefits of technological advancement and investments in health information technology (health IT), while others embrace them and reap rewards. Interoperability is one such example; requiring health centers assess systems, relationships, and implementation.

There are keys to successful interoperability implementation for which health centers must develop processes, stand up infrastructure (within the system, internally and externally, and organization), and then take action.

Process refers to structured processes, policies, and procedures within the health center.

Infrastructure refers to structural capacity and ability within the health center’s technology and staffing structure.

Action refers to full implementation to the point of active and ongoing use and engagement.

This scorecard encourages health centers to consider their processes, infrastructure, and action in a number of key areas. Each area key to interoperability are to be self-graded on a scale of 1 through 5, where 1 is poorly or not yet developed and 5 is well developed. Health centers can also use this to guide discussions and monitor progress over time.

This resource provides guidance to health centers for implementing FHIR in compliance with the Information Blocking Rule.  

This video provides an introduction to FHIR for health centers preparing for UDS+.

Many healthcare providers, including health centers, are concerned about reconciling the need to protect patient privacy under HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 while avoiding interference with electronic health information sharing and violating Information Blocking regulations.

During the 4^th quarter (October to December) of 2022, there are two major health information technology (HIT) requirement changes, with potential for significant implications to health centers. Read this FAQ to find out how your health center can respond.

This spreadsheet developed by the HITEQ Center provides a crosswalk of Clinical Quality Measures and their electronic specifications as defined in the 2023 update for Eligible Professionals (Clinicians). Fields include the crosswalk of measures with related information about CMS, NQF, and MIPS ID, and Telehealth Eligibility, as well as inclusion in HRSA BPHC Uniform Data System (UDS) CY2023, Million Hearts, CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) - Performance Pathway (APP) Measures, Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP)/ CMS ACO Shared Savings Program, CMS Core Set (Child Core Set Medicaid / CHIP): HEDIS Specified, CMS Core Set (Adult Core Set Medicaid): HEDIS Specified, Core Quality Measures Collaborative (ACO / Primary Care). Links are included throughout.

As HRSA BPHC's UDS Modernization, including UDS+, and other granular data reporting programs approach, health centers are at varying levels of awareness and readiness. The HITEQ Center is offering a virtual office hours series to discuss the following:

• The mechanisms of future reporting via bulk FHIR submission.
• The future state where health centers are ready for UDS+ and other patient level reporting.
• Readiness processes for future reporting via bulk FHIR submission, including strong data governance, standardized documentation, and mapping.
• Health IT and data characteristics of future-focused health centers.

As HRSA BPHC's UDS Modernization, including UDS+, and other granular data reporting programs approach, health centers are at varying levels of awareness and readiness. The HITEQ Center is offering a virtual office hours series to discuss the following:

• The mechanisms of future reporting via bulk FHIR submission.
• The future state where health centers are ready for UDS+ and other patient level reporting.
• Readiness processes for future reporting via bulk FHIR submission, including strong data governance, standardized documentation, and mapping.
• Health IT and data characteristics of future-focused health centers.