Beginning in April of 2021, the program rule on Interoperability, Information Blocking, and ONC Health IT Certification, which implements the 21st Century Cures Act, requires that healthcare providers give patients access without charge to all the health information in their electronic medical records “without delay.”

With provisions focused on advancing interoperability and eliminating information blocking, a major goal of the Act is to give patients and healthcare providers secure access to health information. It also seeks to foster greater innovation and competition, encouraging development of new applications that give patients greater choice in their healthcare.

Ambulatory care practices must be familiar with the final rules, as they both require compliance with interoperability, patient access and prohibiting information blocking. Since ONC is the certifying body for EHRs, providers must be prepared to transition to a new “Cures Edition” version of its software. The CMS rule focuses also on payers, requiring them to focus on interoperability and increased patient access.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the ONC Cures Act and all final rule provisions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this course, the learner will be able to:

• Discuss Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program
• Summarize Interoperability: United States Core Data for Interoperability
• Define Information Blocking
• List Information Blocking Exceptions
• Outline the ONC Health IT Certification Program

AVERAGE STUDY TIME: 3-5 hours

AUDIENCE: This course is intended for providers, practice managers, billers, coders, payors, consultants, and administrators tasked with understanding the ONC regulations.