The 21st Century Cures Act (Cures) was passed in 2016 with the aim to make health data more accessible by improving interoperability standards and prohibiting the practice of information blocking.
Then in 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) proposed two rules to enact the interoperability provisions of Cures that were designed to increase information sharing between patients, payers and providers.
This Act, at over 300 pages long, is a hefty piece of legislation and an undertaking to digest.
Fortunately, our subject matter experts Andrew S. Kanter, MD, and Ann D. Phillips created a series of white papers that unpack the key takeaways from Cures. Descriptions and links to download are below.
Interoperability, information blocking, and the coming data tsunami | by Dr. Andrew Kanter
Certainly, the use of technologies such as electronic health records (EHRs) has both helped and hindered the sharing of healthcare data. This white paper explores the finalized rules of Cures that will help facilitate greater interoperability, minimize data blocking, and provide patients with greater access to their own data. Dr. Kanter also explores an unintended consequence of increased data sharing — that this flow of information may quickly overwhelm providers
As a bonus, this paper contains a handy timeline with key points about patient access to data, interoperability, and information blocking starting with the first use of an EHR in the 1970s to present day. Download now.
The 21st Century Cures Act in the age of COVID-19 | by Dr. Andrew Kanter
There were necessary but unfortunate reasons why implementation of many provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act were delayed. Chief among them was the COVID-19 public health emergency. Ironically, although it delayed enforcement of many key provisions of Cures, the COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted gaps in our current healthcare infrastructure that the Act addresses. Read more about the need for Cures’ provisions to help address the current (and future) pandemics. Download now.
The 21st Century Cures Act: A payer’s perspective | by Ann D. Phillips
A lot is changing when it comes to the role of healthcare payers in the interoperability equation. This white paper explores the new regulations regarding technical standards under Cures that affect payers; the requirements for information interoperability within the Act; and the opportunities that arise once more data is available to payers, providers, and patients alike. The paper also takes a look at how payer data might be used to both improve patient care and reduce the burden of health information technology (HIT) on providers. Download now.
The 21st Century Cures Act: Impacts on developers, providers, and patients | by Ann D. Phillips
A companion to the previous white paper, this piece focuses on the ONC Interoperability Rule and how it impacts HIT developers, providers, and patients. Download now.