What’s happening: The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued a final rule on provider disincentives for information blocking.
What else to know: CHA is disappointed in the finalized policies and remains concerned about the selective application of penalties to certain health care providers, as previously outlined in comments.
In the final rule, hospitals and critical access hospitals that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General determines have committed information blocking would be referred to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
As a result, the hospitals would be ineligible to meet the requirements as a meaningful user of electronic health record technology under the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program. Physicians would face similar penalties under the Medicare Quality Payment program, and participants in accountable care organizations would be ineligible to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings program for at least one year.
CHA is reviewing the regulations and will provide additional details in the coming weeks.
