The American Medical Association on March 9 announced it will "undertake aggressive action" over the next few weeks to review HHS' finalized interoperability rules and ensure the regulations meet the needs of patients and physicians.
The rules, which HHS finalized March 9, are issued by ONC and CMS in support of the MyHealthEData Initiative and 21st Century Cures Act.
The AMA will review the rules with special attention to policies designed to make data exchange more efficient, reduce physician burden and give patients access to and control of their health data.
Here are the following areas of the rules the AMA will examine:
1. Privacy controls that require apps to be transparent about what data they collect and how developers plan to use it.
2. Regulations that prevent vendors from charging excessive fees, such as EHR gag clauses that prevent physicians from publicly disclosing issues with their EHRs.
3. A fee structure based on usage that seeks to limit EHR vendor fees and prevent physicians from raking up costs for exchanging health data.
4. Stricter requirements on EHR testing and usability.
5. Restricting inappropriate and unnecessary access to EHR data from insurers and other non-clinical entities.
6. More clarity on information-blocking exceptions for physicians.
7. Less aggressive and separate EHR implementation timelines for vendors and physicians.