CMS, ONC issue new rules to make EHR better accessed, more useful

HHS has issued new rules to the Electronic Heath Record Incentive Program and the Health IT Certification Program that will make EHR information more available to patients, simplify information sharing and ease the burden on health care providers, according to a press release. “We have a shared goal of electronic health records helping physicians, clinicians and hospitals to deliver better care, smarter spending and healthier people. We eliminated unnecessary requirements, simplified and increased flexibility for those that remain, and focused on interoperability, information exchange, and patient engagement. By 2018, these rules move us beyond the staged approach of ‘meaningful use’ and focus on broader delivery system reform,” Patrick Conway MD, MSc, CMS deputy administrator for innovation and quality and chief medical officer, said in a press release.