Posts in 21st Century Cures Act
Liar, Liar, That's not FHIR®

The market for FHIR solutions is quickly heating up. While every solution may have its pros and cons, we have recently seen many announcements and promotions that we felt are misguided representations of FHIR solution's actual capabilities related to meeting regulatory requirements. In this blog, I would like to bring to light some facts, to enable you to make an informed decision.

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Interoperability: There is FHIR® at the End of the Tunnel

Over the last decade, billions of American taxpayer dollars have been spent to achieve “interoperability” in healthcare. Has it worked? The answer depends on who you ask. However, everyone agrees that we have a long way to go. Is FHIR® the answer to the interoperability conundrum?

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2021: Time for Everyone to Play With FHIR®

As 2020 comes to a close, it is time to reflect back at the year. The COVID challenge we are faced with and drawing upon the lessons learned from it to remind everyone that regardless of the role you play in the healthcare ecosystem (patients, providers, payers, and Health IT vendors), come 2021, you need to start playing with FHIR.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the FHIRest of Them All?

After the 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule was announced, the healthcare IT marketplace has been inundated with solutions, all claiming to be able to meet or even exceed the compliance requirements. Unfortunately, there is no magic mirror available that can tell you which FHIR solution is the fairest choice for your organization. So, let’s start with some facts and follow a logical path to help you find a solution that not only meets your current needs, but aligns with your future requirements as well.

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CCDA TO FHIR® Crosswalk: An Information Blocking Insurance

Updating the CCDAs might be the easiest way to share USCDI data and avoid the $1,000,000 penalty under information blocking regulation. However, it might not be the best way as Cures Act ultimately requires you to make the same data available through a FHIR® API. In this blog, we will drill a little deeper on how making this data available through a FHIR® API is a better long-term strategy than simply sharing an updated CCDA.

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Am I an Information Blocker: A $1,000,000 Question

On October 29th, 2020, ONC announced an Interim Final Rule to extend compliance for some of the provisions including Information Blocking due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog, we discuss what changed in the Interim Final Rule, how it impacts providers and EHR vendors, and solutions for meeting the Information Blocking requirements.

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Epic's Letter To HHS: Facts vs Fiction

Last year at HIMSS, ONC announced a proposed rule pertaining to some provisions of the 21st Century Cure’s Act, which included some new certification criteria that all EHR vendors will need to support going forward. Yesterday evening, CNBC released an article sharing that Epic’s CEO, Judy Faulkner is urging hospital executives to oppose this rule. Epic has confirmed this and that they have sent an email to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, which has been signed by other “healthcare CEOs.” This is a very disappointing action by Epic, trying to misrepresent the proposed rule. Let’s winnow the fiction from the facts to understand what is going on here.

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