Source: Modern Healthcare
Healthcare providers that prevent authorized users from accessing electronic health records data face new consequences under a final rule the Health and Human Services Department published Monday. The regulation to discourage so-called information blocking emerged from the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 and applies to providers including hospitals, physicians and accountable care organizations. Providers that HHS determines knowingly prevented others from appropriate use of EHR data would be subject to Medicare reimbursement cuts under the rule, which HHS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology proposed in October.