Hospitals that have opt-in policies in place for health information exchanges report having greater regulatory barriers and administrative burdens, according to a study published in The American Journal of Managed Care.
Researchers analyzed 2016 data from nonfederal acute care hospitals. Study authors used HIE-relevant laws with the American Hospital Association Annual Information Technology Supplement to estimate regulatory barriers and other hospital characteristics. To capture HIE volume, the researchers used data from CMS.
The study found that hospitals that had opt-in consent policies were 7.8 percentage points more likely to have regulatory barriers. Additionally, hospitals that did not attest to CMS' Promoting Interoperability were 7.7 percentage points more likely to report burdens with opt-in policies.
"Our findings suggest that opt-in consent laws may carry greater administrative burdens compared with opt-out policies. However, less technologically advanced hospitals may bear more of this burden," the study authors concluded.