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- NURS 6051 Week 11 Assignment: Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet
Student Name
Walden University
NURS 6051
Professor Name
Submission Date
Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet-21st Century Cures Act – Information Blocking Rule
What Is the Information Blocking Rule?
Information Blocking Rule is a part of the 21st Century Cures Act, which is expected to promote the interoperability and access of electronic health information (EHI) to patients (Huang et al., 2023). It prohibits the interference with the access, exchange, or use of EHI by the healthcare providers, developers of health IT, and health information networks.
Key Purpose
To ensure that the accessibility of the health data at the time and location required by patients and providers to access the data to provide care and make decisions.
Impact on our System
Upgrades EHRs: Systems must be configured to be interoperable (e.g., with FHIR standards).
•Export Data: A patient should not have to go out of his /her way to access, download, and send his/her EHI data.
•Compliance Modules: IT systems must have the capacity to offer a data-sharing activity sharing mechanism, to ensure they do not block (Everson et al., 2021).
Influence on Clinical Care and Patient/Provider Intervention and Workflow.
Impact on Clinical Care and Patient/Provider Intervention and Workflow
| Area | Impact |
| Clinical Care | External record sharing can improve the process of care coordination and remove unnecessary tests. |
| Patient/Provider Interaction | Interaction. More engagements can now be easily made with patients with easy access to their records via apps. |
| Workflow | New process steps are included to release records in time and educate the staff on the permitted delays (exceptions). |
The Response of our Organization
Our organization has put in place the following policy and procedure to adhere to the Information Blocking Rule:
Policy 2023-01: According to the policy, the request to give patient data must be addressed within 24 business hours, unless there is an exception.
- Procedure Update: The EHR training now has modules on:
- Information blocking recognition.
- The launch of the information portal.
- Recording allowable exceptions (privacy, security, harm).
Improvements to Patient Portal: Add an option named Export My Data that enables patients to have access to their health information.
- Compliance Team: A certain informatics nurse and IT liaison verify the compliance and address the questions (Everson et al., 2021).
References
Everson, J., Patel, V., & Adler-Milstein, J. (2021). Information blocking remains prevalent at the start of the 21st Century Cures Act: Results from a survey of health information exchange organizations. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 28(4), 727–732. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocaa323
Huang, S. S., Stenner, S. P., & Rosenbloom, S. T. (2023). The 21st Century Cures Act information blocking rule in post-acute long-term care. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 25(1), S1525-8610(23)005418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2023.05.030
