ECG Managment Consultants details five challenges Health information exchanges (HIEs) and clinically integrated networks (CINs) face that the 21st Century Cures Act will address.
Editor's Note: This publication originally appeared on ECG Management Consultant's website.
Health information exchanges (HIEs) and clinically integrated networks (CINs) have faced significant challenges in their mission to promote interoperability throughout the continuum of care—from a lack of common standards to a general reluctance to participate in multiple data-sharing agreements. The 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program proposed rule aims to address these challenges. Additionally, the proposed rule intends to provide patients with easy
Despite the adoption of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) by nearly 90% of providers, interoperability has lagged considerably, with less than 50% of all nonfederal acute care hospitals reporting the ability to electronically send, receive, query, and integrate patient health information and less than 25% consistently using information received electronically from providers or outside sources while treating patients. These suboptimal metrics highlight the significant challenges HIEs and CINs encounter when attempting to promote interoperability and the need for regulatory action to guide and incentivize interoperability across the healthcare industry.
Below are five challenges that the proposed rule will address and the implications of each.
Challenge One: Workflows Supporting Interoperability Are Cumbersome
It can be difficult to integrate information received by query or via other electronic routes (e.g., direct message) into the EHR and ultimately the workflow. Issues such as patient matching, source
News from our Partner