The Department of Health and Human Services will seek public comments on its proposed rule for improving interoperability and information sharing among patients, providers, payers and public health authorities.
The Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability, or HTI-2, proposes two sets of new certification criteria developed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to enhance data exchange, public health response and healthcare delivery, the HHS said Wednesday.
The health IT for public health-oriented certification criteria was designed to support the CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative while the health IT for payer-oriented certification criteria was developed to support technical requirements included in the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization final rule.
The HTI-2 would require the adoption of United States Core Data for Interoperability version 4 by January 1, 2028, and the implementation of a new, real-time prescription benefit tool certification criterion, which would allow providers and patients to compare the cost of patient-specific medication and suitable alternatives to make more informed decisions.
Other proposals include adopting technology and standard updates from the HTI-1 final rule, revising information blocking regulations and establishing certain Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement governance rules.
The HHS will accept comments on the proposed rule for 60 days once the HTI-2 is published in the Federal Register.