ACP offers resources on information sharing, addresses health IT privacy protections
New resources and information from ACP aim to help physicians deal with information-sharing rules, while an ACP position paper makes recommendations to improve privacy protections and increase trust in health information technology (IT).
Rules included in the 21st Century Cures Act now require that patients must have access to their electronic health information as soon as it is available. The rules are intend to improve interoperability and patient access to electronic health information and promote information sharing. However, access may be tricky to implement due to allowed exceptions.
Given the importance of physician practices understanding what information must be available to patients and how best to accomplish that as painlessly as possible, ACP is providing resources and information on the new rules, including multiple FAQs and updates on ACP advocacy efforts. In addition, ACP's Practice Advisor™ has a new free module to help practices understand and implement the information-sharing rules while earning CME and MOC credit.
The rules apply to developers of certified health IT, to health information exchanges and networks, and to all health care “providers” (including physicians, group practices, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories). Referred to as information-blocking rules, the regulations attempt to prevent the interference with access, exchange, or use of electronic health information, or the “intentional withholding” of patient information.
The ACP position paper, “Health Information Privacy, Protection, and Use in the Expanding Digital Health Ecosystem,” published on April 27 in Annals of Internal Medicine, seeks to advance the existing health information privacy framework and expand privacy guardrails that physicians have practiced for decades by offering principles and evidence-based recommendations to help improve trust in digital health technology.