Interoperability Moves Into the 21st Century

The 21st Century Cures Act, which became effective on June 30, 2020, mandates important changes in interoperability, information blocking, and the Health IT Certification Program administered by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology. Among its many provisions, the law requires patients eventually be given access to all of their electronic health information (EHI), structured and/or unstructured, at no cost. While implementing the rules has the potential to improve care, it also poses challenges for providers, health information exchanges (HIEs), and tech developers, including EHR vendors, who must put the rule into effect.

The deadline for standardized API functionality allowing patients to be able to use their smartphones to connect with their health data is end of 2022. The Cures Act doesn’t just require that providers share data with patients, it also requires them to share information with other health care systems. The latter requirement has been a contentious issue for several providers and vendors, who have been accused of blocking access to the data to others to gain a competitive advantage.