ONC has issued a request for information for your thoughts on how to measure interoperability. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) sets an objective to achieve the widespread exchange of health information through the use of interoperable certified electronic health records and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish metrics in consultation with you – the health IT community – to see if that objective has been met.

Specifically, They are asking for input on:

ONC Health IT Certification Program: Enhanced Oversight and Accountability Proposed Rule

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT announced its sixth Annual Meeting will be held May 31 – June 2, 2016, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for a wide array of public and private sector partners to discuss ways to leverage health IT to achieve better care, smarter spending, and healthier people.

The Provider User-Experience (UX) Challenge incents the development of applications that use open, standardized APIs to enable innovative ways for providers to interact with patient health data. This challenge will focus on demonstrating how data made accessible to apps through APIs can positively impact providers’ experience with EHRs by making clinical workflows more intuitive, specific to clinical specialty, and actionable.

Nearly 75% of office-based providers in 2014 had a certified electronic health record system, up from 68% in 2013, according to new CDC data, STAT News' "Morning Rounds" reports (Thielking, "Morning Rounds," STAT News, 1/27).

Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo in a blog post further explained plans for the upcoming changes to the meaningful use program, EHR Intelligence reports.

The 2015 Edition Final Test Method has been posted and can be accessed on the ONC Health IT Certification Program webpage.

The Final Test Method outlines the requirements for evaluating conformance of health IT Modules to the certification criteria defined in the ONC 2015 Edition Final Rule (45 CFR Part 170 Subpart II) published in the Federal Register on October 16, 2015.

CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT issued a request for information seeking input on policy options to strengthen the testing and certification of electronic health records used for reporting quality measures,

"Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both "direct access" (i.e. unassisted) and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers)."

Below is the text from ONC regarding this new requirement:

ONC issued a Federal Register notice to provide corrections (e.g., corrects cross-references and citation omissions) and clarifications for the final rule entitled “2015 Edition Health Information Technology (Health IT) Certification Criteria, 2015 Edition Base Electronic Health Record (EHR) Definition, and ONC Health IT Certification Program Modifications.” These corrections and clarifications will eliminate confusion and ambiguity, permitting stakeholders to better understand, implement, and comply with the final rule. The final rule and notice are effective January 14, 2016.

On Oct. 16, 2015, CMS published a long-awaited final rule that modifies the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program (aka meaningful use) requirements for 2015 through 2017 and establishes requirements for Stage 3, which starts in 2018. While CMS "finalizes" Stage 3 requirements within this final rule, the agency has signaled that these regulations are not set in stone. The public may submit feedback for the Stage 3 requirements until Dec. 15.

CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released the final rules for Stage 3 of the meaningful use program, modifications for 2015 through 2017 and the 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria,

At the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's annual Consumer Health IT Summit, National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo announced that ONC will develop a policy framework to identify best practices, gaps and opportunities for the use of patient-generated health data in research and care delivery through 2024,

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released the final Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2020, which focuses on patient-centered data and care rather than implementing IT systems,

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT announced a new online form where users of certified electronic health records and other health IT products can file complaints, Healthcare IT News reports (Miliard, Healthcare IT News, 9/14).

In the weeks since the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released its roadmap for the creation of a health IT safety center -- recently redubbed the "Collaboratory" to better articulate the center's vision -- the response has been largely positive, in principle. But some industry stakeholders question its ultimate operating potential and efficacy given that the Collaboratory's funding has not been assured.

A proposed meaningful use rule could prompt more eligible professionals and hospitals to use modular software, as opposed to a "complete" electronic health record system, Modern Healthcare reports (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 8/21).

The Health IT Policy Committee approved draft recommendations from its Privacy and Security Workgroup for overcoming privacy and security challenges associated with using big data in a learning health care system, Clinical Innovation & Technolo

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT announced three new grant programs that awarded a total of $38 million to 20 entities to advance the use of health IT, FierceHealthIT reports.