CHIME urges HHS to extend certification criteria to HIE market
Certification to the health information exchange marketplace should be extended to advance interoperability, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) recommended in April 19 comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). The two agencies had issued a joint request for information on March 7 on potential policy and program changes to foster interoperability.
“CHIME believes that the certification process, developed under the EHR incentive payments program, has had a major impact on the adoption and Meaningful Use of health information technology,” the organization said in response to the RFI. CHIME recommended extending the concept of interoperability “via standard interfaces, standard methods for isolating sensitive information, standard means to securely transport patient care information (i.e., Direct), standard ways to accurately identify patients and standard protocols for tracking consent.”
In its comments, CHIME also argued that greater energies must be focused on eliminating technical barriers. It urged the continuance of flexibility while leaders develop technical standards, services and policies that solve problems, reduce costs and encourage interoperability. CHIME supported the recent payment model changes from fee-for-service to pay-for-value at CMS and the CMS Innovation Center, and its effects on promoting the value of interoperability. However, “CHIME believes that forcing miscellaneous exchange through requirements for participation, receipt of incentive payments, or avoidance of payment adjustments is a serious proposition--one that needs broad input from stakeholders,” according to the letter.
CHIME also weighed in on the issue of health risks surrounding patient data-matching errors “that will become exponentially more problematic and potentially dangerous” and encouraged CMS and ONC to tackle this challenge.
CHIME’s comments are viewable here.