[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":1498,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The healthcare industry will not be able to move to a system that rewards value without achieving health IT interoperability, according to Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan.

\u201cAdvancing health IT is inextricably bound up with what may be the most important priority that HHS has today, which is transforming our healthcare system into one that pays for value,\u201d said Hargan in a keynote address on Thursday during the opening session of the ONC Annual Meeting in Washington.

According to Hargan, health IT interoperability is critical to the industry successfully transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based payment.

\u201cIt is actually impossible to move to a future health system\u2014the one that we need, one that pays for procedures rather than sickness\u2014without a truly interoperable health IT system,\u201d he added.

Hargan said HHS has as its goal an interoperable healthcare IT system that \u201chelps patients and providers make easy use of their health data.\u201d

\u201cWe must transform healthcare through the use of technology\u2014the way other industries have been able to do,\u201d added Lisa Lewis, deputy national coordinator for operations at ONC. \u201cUnlike other industries, it is life or death for us. And, I know that adds a lot of complications. But, doesn\u2019t that make it even more critical that we make it happen\u2014that we work through the complicated infrastructure of policy, technology, and business drivers that can make it hard for us to achieve interoperability.\u201d

ONC released a data brief<\/a> this week showing that four in 10 acute care hospitals in 2017 could electronically send, receive, find and integrate patient health information from outside providers or sources\u2014up from three in 10 in 2016.

Nonetheless, ONC\u2019s report concluded that significant challenges remain that are impeding the progress toward nationwide interoperability.

\u201cHospitals\u2019 limited ability to integrate data, difficulty locating provider addresses, and exchange partners\u2019 EHR systems lacking the capability to receive health information stand out as significant barriers to interoperable exchange,\u201d states the report. \u201cAdditionally, small, rural, and CAHs experience these barriers at significantly higher rates which result in a sizable gap in interoperable exchange among different hospital types.\u201d

In addition, ONC noted that \u201cmore than half of hospitals report challenges exchanging health information across different vendor platforms\u201d and that there are \u201cproviders with whom hospitals share patients that don\u2019t typically exchange data with the hospital.\u201d

In fact, nearly six in 10 hospitals last year reported challenges exchanging patient health information across different vendor platforms\u2014up from five in 10 in 2016.

\u201cThe path forward is not to micromanage the how of health IT\u2014but, just to lay out the what,\u201d Hargan told the audience. \u201cHow all of that happens is really up to you. That is part of what the private sector brings to the table\u2014which is the understanding of how we get where we need to go.\u201d

At the same time, he emphasized that HHS is \u201cnot afraid to take bold steps in overhauling outdated rules or incentives that may be getting in the way of providers making the best use of health IT.\u201d

Earlier this week, HHS released a draft strategy to reduce the <\/i>administrative and regulatory burdens on clinicians caused by the use of health IT and EHRs. <\/i>

Also See<\/b>: <\/i>HHS pledges to reduce health IT regulatory burdens on clinicians<\/a>

The HHS strategy and recommendations for burden reduction are described by the agency as a \u201crange of incremental changes to allow clinicians to enjoy the benefits of greater interoperability while producing benefits for patients and the healthcare system overall.\u201d

\u201cWe have already moved to focus our EHR incentives on interoperability and there are other important regulatory steps that remain to come,\u201d Hargan said.
","saveContent":"The healthcare industry will not be able to move to a system that rewards value without achieving health IT interoperability, according to Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan.

\u201cAdvancing health IT is inextricably bound up with what may be the most important priority that HHS has today, which is transforming our healthcare system into one that pays for value,\u201d said Hargan in a keynote address on Thursday during the opening session of the ONC Annual Meeting in Washington.

According to Hargan, health IT interoperability is critical to the industry successfully transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based payment.

\u201cIt is actually impossible to move to a future health system\u2014the one that we need, one that pays for procedures rather than sickness\u2014without a truly interoperable health IT system,\u201d he added.

Hargan said HHS has as its goal an interoperable healthcare IT system that \u201chelps patients and providers make easy use of their health data.\u201d

\u201cWe must transform healthcare through the use of technology\u2014the way other industries have been able to do,\u201d added Lisa Lewis, deputy national coordinator for operations at ONC. \u201cUnlike other industries, it is life or death for us. And, I know that adds a lot of complications. But, doesn\u2019t that make it even more critical that we make it happen\u2014that we work through the complicated infrastructure of policy, technology, and business drivers that can make it hard for us to achieve interoperability.\u201d

ONC released a data brief<\/a> this week showing that four in 10 acute care hospitals in 2017 could electronically send, receive, find and integrate patient health information from outside providers or sources\u2014up from three in 10 in 2016.

Nonetheless, ONC\u2019s report concluded that significant challenges remain that are impeding the progress toward nationwide interoperability.

\u201cHospitals\u2019 limited ability to integrate data, difficulty locating provider addresses, and exchange partners\u2019 EHR systems lacking the capability to receive health information stand out as significant barriers to interoperable exchange,\u201d states the report. \u201cAdditionally, small, rural, and CAHs experience these barriers at significantly higher rates which result in a sizable gap in interoperable exchange among different hospital types.\u201d

In addition, ONC noted that \u201cmore than half of hospitals report challenges exchanging health information across different vendor platforms\u201d and that there are \u201cproviders with whom hospitals share patients that don\u2019t typically exchange data with the hospital.\u201d

In fact, nearly six in 10 hospitals last year reported challenges exchanging patient health information across different vendor platforms\u2014up from five in 10 in 2016.

\u201cThe path forward is not to micromanage the how of health IT\u2014but, just to lay out the what,\u201d Hargan told the audience. \u201cHow all of that happens is really up to you. That is part of what the private sector brings to the table\u2014which is the understanding of how we get where we need to go.\u201d

At the same time, he emphasized that HHS is \u201cnot afraid to take bold steps in overhauling outdated rules or incentives that may be getting in the way of providers making the best use of health IT.\u201d

Earlier this week, HHS released a draft strategy to reduce the <\/i>administrative and regulatory burdens on clinicians caused by the use of health IT and EHRs. <\/i>

Also See<\/b>: <\/i>HHS pledges to reduce health IT regulatory burdens on clinicians<\/a>

The HHS strategy and recommendations for burden reduction are described by the agency as a \u201crange of incremental changes to allow clinicians to enjoy the benefits of greater interoperability while producing benefits for patients and the healthcare system overall.\u201d

\u201cWe have already moved to focus our EHR incentives on interoperability and there are other important regulatory steps that remain to come,\u201d Hargan said.
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Hargan: Value-based payment impossible without interoperable health IT

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