HITEQ Health Center Information Blocking Avenger

Information blocking is different from HIPAA and other existing rules in that it defines the only things that are not to be shared, with the implicit requirement that everything else is to be shared. The information blocking rule only provides eight exceptions or situations in which an actor is permitted to 'block' sharing of information.

Take some time to read through some of the articles on this page and then fill out the submission form on the right and you will be rewarded with a Health Center Incredible Behavioral Health Integrator badge! 

This is an official badge that is submitted by the HITEQ Center as a proof of completion to the blockchain. Your credentials can be added to profiles such as LinkedIn and verified through accreditation services such as Accredible and Open Badge.

 Information Blocking Avenger (hiteqcenter.org)

 

Information Blocking Avenger Curriculum

A Practical Guide on Intimate Partner Violence, Human Trafficking, and Exploitation and Technology Tools

HITEQ Center, January 2025

Molly Rafferty 0 265

This practical guide features key tools and principles to help health centers (HCs) develop safe documentation for intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and exploitation (IPV/HT/E) in their electronic health records (EHRs) and other technology tools.  In 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) introduced new Uniform Data System (UDS) data elements for health centers (HCs) to report on IPV and HT/E. With the evolving landscape of data use in medical settings, it is imperative that HC staff understand privacy principles and implement best practices to protect confidentiality for survivors of IPV/HT/E. This resource features guidelines on documenting IPV/HT/E in the EHR using a trauma-informed, survivor-centered approach. The guide also features tools that FUTURES has developed alongside health IT platforms, namely for eClinicalWorks and OCHIN Epic, to aid HCs in using the evidence-based CUES intervention that focuses on universal education approaches on IPV/HT/E. This guide is available as a PDF (4 pages) in English.

Health Center Resilience in the Face of Cyber Adversity

A Case Study of the Family Health Center of Worcester’s Ransomware Incident, February 2024

Molly Rafferty 0 3847
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 imperative of preparedness and the strength of a community-centered response in ensuring the continuity of healthcare services amidst the ever-growing tide of cyber vulnerabilities.

Navigating Compliance Challenges with the Information Blocking Rule: A Collection of Case Studies

HITEQ Center and Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, September 2023

Molly Rafferty 0 7214

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.

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Information Blocking Avenger Badge