Together, these final rules mark the most extensive healthcare data sharing policies the federal government has implemented, requiring both public and private entities to share health information between patients and other parties while keeping that information private and secure, a top priority for the Administration.

“From the start of our efforts to put patients and value at the center of our healthcare system, we’ve been clear: Patients should have control of their records, period. Now that’s becoming a reality,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “These rules are the start of a new chapter in how patients experience American healthcare, opening up countless new opportunities for them to improve their own health, find the providers that meet their needs, and drive quality through greater coordination.”

The Interoperability and Patient Access final rule (CMS-9115-F) delivers on the Administrations promise to put patients first, giving them access to their health information when they need it most and in a way they can best use it.

The rule is designed to give patients and their healthcare providers secure access to health information. It also aims to increase innovation and competition by fostering an ecosystem of new applications to provide patients with more choices in their healthcare.

Update: HIMSS has published a HIMSS Cancellation FAQ Were sorry to report that the HIMSS 2020 annual conference in Orlando has been cancelled. Heres the email that was sent out by HI

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From what I see in the market, we need to rise to the occasion to assure consumers/patients that their privacy will be respected or we wont realize the full value of digital health as it relates to behavior change. What do you think it will take? A digital health version of the Hippocratic Oath? Is data privacy a potential competitive advantage in building brand and an organizations reputation? How do we achieve transparency about how personal health data is collected and used? Do we put the ball in the consumers court, allowing consumers to either opt in or opt out to sharing their data?

Patients want and deserve access to their medical records. The argument that patients will not understand or will misinterpret the information in their records is no longer an acceptable excuse for preventing access. In fact, the government is about to set rules that may penalize healthcare organizations and software companies that block access to medical information (see info blocking).

Patients want access to their records, and they deserve it.

This isnt just a conceptual challenge, Azar said Tuesday during his keynote address at AcademyHealths Health Datapalooza.It can also be a source of tremendous frustration for patients themselvesno matter how well-versed these patients may be in health policy, he said.