Fewer than one in five — 18 percent — of hospital and health systems executives reported that they are "very familiar" with new regulations regarding patient medical record sharing, according to an Accenture survey.
Accenture surveyed 76 CIOs, chief technology officers and vice presidents of information technology at U.S. healthcare providers and healthcare payers with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. The survey was conducted throughout June and July.
New regulations are designed to improve transparency and increase efficiencies. Some of the rules prevent information blocking while also expanding how patients can manage their health records. Organizations that don't comply with the new rules could face penalties.
Of those surveyed, 17 percent of hospital tech executives said they are completely unaware of any new regulations. Majority (53 percent) said they are "somewhat familiar," and 12 percent are "vaguely familiar."
Payers were a little more informed about upcoming 2020 regulations. Around 26 percent said they are "very familiar" with the regulations, and 26 percent said they are "very prepared."
To get prepared, Accenture offered the following tips:
- Ensure technology and compliance leadership are familiar with the new rules.
- Assess and analyze organization's current interoperability provisions.
- Complete gap analyses and develop remediation plans for a 12- to 18-month timeframe.
- Manage communications — internally and externally — to help healthcare professionals and consumers adapt to the new rules.