A Case Study of the Family Health Center of Worcester’s Ransomware Incident, February 2024
The use of ransomware — malicious software that restricts access to computer systems with financial demands — has escalated, targeting health centers and putting countless lives at risk. This dire reality came to the forefront during the alarming ransomware attack on the Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. (FHCW), where the personal health information and care continuity for thousands of patients were compromised. This resource uses FHCW's experience as a case study to demonstrate the...
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...
Health IT Gov Moderated Panel Discussion
Join us for a moderated panel discussion with developers and implementers about the future FHIR ecosystem. Panelists will provide their perspectives on the impact of FHIR adoption and implementation on healthcare, addressing questions such as: what use cases will see greatest adoption (and what will happen to CCDA)? What challenges will we have to solve as more granular data is searchable over FHIR APIs? How will FHIR impact user experience of accessing health information?
HITEQ Webinar in June 2023
There are many questions about patient portals and the related requirements under the Information Blocking Rule. In this session, our expert speaker will review the impact of the Information Blocking Rule on implementation and use of the patient portal.Over the last few years, the Office of Civil Rights has focused much of its enforcement efforts on ensuring patients are afforded their HIPAA right to access their protected health information (PHI). The Privacy Rule generally requires HIPAA...
Wednesday, October 26 1 pm Eastern | 10 am Pacific
The Weitzman Institute and the Moses/Weitzman Health System are pleased to present the latest installment of our series of informative discussions with an exclusive panel of global experts driving the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP, Vice President and Director of the Weitzman Institute will moderate this latest discussion, "AI Fundamentals and Applications in Primary Care," on Wednesday, October 26 at 1 pm...
Considerations for Entities that Maintain Part 2-Protected Data
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...
ONC Data Brief | October 2023
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...
A HITEQ Center Training Badge
In March 2019, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued a Proposed Rule, 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program. ONC released a final rule in March 2020, published in the Federal Register on May 1, 2020. The Final Rule on Information Blocking prohibits actors from blocking the exchange of electronic health information and seeks to increase the ease and choices available...
HITEQ Center, June 2023
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...
HITEQ Center, September 2023
This resource provides guidance to health centers for implementing FHIR in compliance with the Information Blocking Rule.