This past May, the federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) released a final rule outlining provisions about Interoperability and Information Blocking under the 21st Century Cures Act. The rule details ways in which physicians, software developers, and others are to share patient data electronically. While the original compliance date for the information-blocking provision was set for Monday, November 2, and was subsequently pushed back to Tuesday, February 2, 2021, the ONC has now released an interim final rule outlining new compliance deadlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The change is intended to give physicians, payers, software developers, and health systems additional flexibility in adapting technology and practice workflows required by the rule.
These new deadlines push compliance for the information-blocking provision to Monday, April 5, 2021. This will give physicians and hospital systems more time to adapt to the requirements around the new definition of “Electronic Health Information,” information blocking, and the eight exceptions to information blocking detailed in the rule. APA has summarized the requirements of the rule, and that information can be found here. More information about the delayed implementation timeline for information blocking can found in this ONC fact sheet and a press release from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Finally, the ONC also has announced that it will hold a webinar on the delayed implementation of its final rule. The webinar, which will tell you more about what this means for your practice, is scheduled for Monday, November 2, at 3 p.m. ET. Register now.
Save the date: Update on 2021 Changes to Billing and Documentation for Outpatient E/M Services
Tuesday, November 17, 8 p.m. ET
Join this webinar to learn about the changes to billing and documentation for Outpatient E/M services that will take effect on January 1, 2021. The webinar will include how to select the appropriate CPT code based on medical decision making or time, a review of the necessary documentation, and a Q&A portion with APA’s CPT coding and documentation experts.
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