Information Blocking: the topic no one can get enough of, especially as agencies and regulators are turning up the heat on healthcare organizations. HealthMark COO and general counsel Joe Licata took on this burning topic for the December E-Newsletter exclusive of For the Record Magazine; “Information Blocking: It’s Time for Providers to Get in the Game,” outlining how providers can start prioritizing Information Blocking today to stay out of disincentive hot water in 2024.
Information blocking enforcement started with a focus on developers of health care IT, health information networks, and exchanges, with a June 2023 Final Rule that established penalties for that audience. Then in November, Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, along with CMS, issued a proposed rule that outlines disincentives for health care providers. So, if you’ve been watching all this from the sidelines as a provider because enforcement was focused elsewhere, that just changed. Now is the time to get in the game.
Information Blocking 101
Information blocking is defined as a practice by an actor that’s likely to interfere with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information. An actor can be an individual, entity or organization that engages in a practice that impedes access to electronic health information without a justifiable reason.