Source: Healthcare Dive
Access to electronic health information through online patient portals has been steadily rising for several years after regulators rolled out new rules to push the healthcare industry to enable access to electronic health information and prohibit blocking the free flow of data, the study noted. Though the Office of the National Coordinator finalized data sharing rules in 2020, enforcement has taken several years to iron out. This summer, the Biden administration finalized penalties for health IT companies who block health information sharing, and the HHS recently proposed new regulations that would cut Medicare payments to information-blocking providers. Implementation of these regulations could be one reason for the boost in patient portal use, but the pandemic may have also forced change, researchers said. Increased reliance on telehealth during the pandemic meant patients had to access portals to send messages, review tests results or download or transmit information.