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HealthMark Group
With 2024 coming to a close and January on the horizon, there are a few things we all expect to see: Instagram selfie collages, Spotify Wrapped playlists and debates over the best movie to watch while dismantling your holiday decorations. If you wanted to know what the most streamed song was this year, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. But if you’re curious about the top four hot topics in health data exchange for 2024, stay right where you are!
Join us as we count down this year’s top four most talked about topics in what has been an eventful 2024.
#4. The Designated Record Set: Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions
Coming in at number four, it’s the designated record set (DRS). This remains one of the more mystifying areas of HIPAA regulation, and it’s not hard to see why. Some of the language can be vague and leave HIM leaders with more questions than answers. Over the years, we’ve received many questions about the DRS, including:
- “What needs to be in a designated record set?”
- “What exclusions are there?”
- “How do I factor in different practice locations?”
In the summer issue of For the Record Magazine, HealthMark’s COO and General Counsel Joe Licata reflected on these questions and more. If thinking about the designated record set has ever given you a headache, give the article a read! It might just have the answers you’ve been looking for.
#3. TEFCA Autocomplete Game: Key Objectives
2024 was a big year for TEFCA, with pilots kicking off early in the year and data actively being exchanged. As we look forward into 2025, there are some open questions with the upcoming change in administration and shifting roles for key leaders like Micky Tripathi who have been instrumental in TEFCA up to this point. While we don’t have a crystal ball to see into the future of TEFCA, now is the time to better understand this framework and prepare your organization for whatever TEFCA’s future may hold.
And that’s why number three on our list was a viral video trend meeting healthcare in the form of HealthMark’s TEFCA Autocomplete Game. If you’re not familiar with the autocomplete game, it’s where celebrities answer the most common Google searches about themselves. In this version, you’ll hear from HealthMark CEO Bart Howe and VP of Interoperability and Innovation, Henry Archibong, on the internet’s top questions about TEFCA, including:
- How does TEFCA intend to solve limitations on sharing patient data?
- How will TEFCA break down regional barriers in sharing patient data?
- How does TEFCA address the lack of a common standard for data sharing?
#2. Guarding the Gates: Why Provider Oversight is Important for Medical Record Audits
In a letter to a friend, American writer, political philosopher and inventor Benjamin Franklin famously penned the following quote: “In HIM, nothing is certain except HIPAA and audits.”
…okay, maybe we’re paraphrasing a bit, but the logic still applies!
That’s why it’s no surprise to see audits in second place on the list. Audits are a familiar challenge for HIM leaders, who are often overwhelmed by auditors asking for hundreds of thousands of records at a time. Because of the stress and challenges associated with audits, it’s often tempting to allow requestors to take the reins on audit processing. While this certainly saves you time and headache in the short term, relying solely on the requestors to manage medical record information comes with many compliance and privacy risks.
That’s where an information gatekeeper comes in. Gatekeepers not only safeguard patient information but also prevent misinterpretation, reduce regulatory risks and support seamless, accurate audits. In an era of rising automation, having an information gatekeeper is the key to balancing efficiency and security.
Does your audit process have the right safeguards in place? Read this blog post to find out!
#1. The Trust Gap Widens as the Epic and Particle Health Debate Escalates
Nothing grabs peoples’ interest like a good fight, and when it comes to the public feud between Epic and Particle Health that’s now been dragged into the courtroom, it’s no surprise to see this as the hottest topic of 2024.
While the natural curiosity around this fight is certainly an element in making this the year’s most popular topic, the real reason it comes in at number one is the far-reaching implications for all of us in healthcare about the balance between privacy and access.
ICYMI: both companies are members of Carequality, a nationwide healthcare data exchange, and they’re locked in a very public battle over how patient data from Epic’s systems can be shared and used by Particle Health’s customers.
At the heart of the Epic and Particle Health debate is an issue of trust between providers, payers and the patients they serve. Patients have a right to understand how their data is being used, and transparency around these processes is crucial to establishing trust. Unfortunately, the intricacies of how patient information flows through national networks remains unclear to most people, even those of us in the industry at times. This lack of clarity and transparency breeds uncertainty, which creates hurdles in the broader push for the more open exchange of health data. And public showdowns such as this shine a spotlight on the criticality of the trust factor.
What’s happening between Epic and Particle Health is an opportunity for us as a healthcare community to reexamine the balance between privacy and access as health data exchange accelerates. While this is a complicated issue with no silver bullet, it’s a critically important conversation as we continue to work though how to navigate balancing privacy vs. access. Check out the article below for some insights on this issue from HealthMark CEO and AHIOS President Bart Howe, and what this battle could mean for the future of health data exchange.
Top 4 Hot Topics: Final Thoughts
Wow, what a year! If one thing is certain from this list of hot topics, it’s that we stewards of patient data truly care about doing right by the people we serve. Whether you’re playing your part by staying ahead of the technology curve, latching onto every HHS and ONC update or grinding to meet tight audit deadlines, HealthMark is here to help you fill in the gaps and stay in the know.
As we dive head-first into the new year, be sure to stay tuned and keep informed by subscribing to the HealthMark blog! Who knows what 2025 will bring?