Epic CEO Judy Faulkner on Jan. 22 emailed some of the EHR giant's largest U.S. hospital clients, asking them to voice disapproval of HHS' proposed interoperability rule, CNBC reports.
The rule, which Ms. Faulkner wrote could be finalized by ONC within the next month, would require companies to make their health records software more interoperable and allow providers to share patient data with outside organizations. Additionally, the rule would give patients free and direct access to their medical data via third-party smartphone applications.
Ms. Faulkner's letter was addressed to health system CEOs and presidents and asks them to sign a letter alongside Epic to voice their opposition of the proposed rule.
"HHS needs to hear from you so they understand that you are feel these issues are important. Very little time is left," Ms. Faulkner's letter states. "We are concerned that healthcare costs will rise, that care will suffer, and that patients and their family members will lose control of their confidential health information."
Ms. Faulkner has previously voiced her concern for the rule, saying that it can affect patients' privacy because app developers will have access to their data without consent, according to the report.
An ONC spokesperson told CNBC that patient choice was a top priority when creating the rules, which were introduced in 2019. "We want the public to have computational right of access to health information so they can have control over apps of their choosing," the spokesperson said.