ONC Interoperability Final Rule Clarifies Information Blocking

March 09, 2020 - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finalized the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) interoperability rule, aiming to provide patients with more control of their health data and to eradicate information blocking.

“Delivering interoperability actually gives patients the ability to manage their healthcare the same way they manage their finances, travel and every other component of their lives,” said Don Rucker, MD, national coordinator for health information technology. “This requires using modern computing standards and APIs that give patients access to their health information and give them the ability to use the tools they want to shop for and coordinate their own care on their smartphones.”

“A core part of the rule is patients’ control of their electronic health information which will drive a growing patient-facing healthcare IT economy, and allow apps to provide patient-specific price and product transparency,” continued Rucker.

Originally proposed in February 2019, the rule supports patients accessing and sharing their electronic health information, allowing them the ability to coordinate their own healthcare.

The rule also prohibits information blocking and aims to hold health IT developers, such as EHR vendors, accountable as a condition of certification.