Federal Requirements for Sharing Patient Medical Records Pose Major Challenges and Opportunities for Healthcare Organizations
October 15 2019 - 6:59AM
Business Wire
New research indicates many healthcare industry
executives are not yet focused on upcoming law and its potential
impact on their organization and customers
Most technology executives polled in the U.S. are relatively
unfamiliar with a key federal law requiring greater patient access
to healthcare records and the sharing (“interoperability”) of such
records across health networks, according to new research findings
from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).
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A centerpiece of the 21st Century Cures Act, which became law as
H.R. 34 in 2016, are new regulations designed to help drive
increased efficiency and transparency in healthcare through a
variety of measures, including preventing information blocking and
expanding how patients can access their healthcare information.
Organizations that do not comply with the new regulations — which
apply to essentially any organization handling patient medical
records — could face substantial penalties.
Fewer than one in five (18%) of the executives surveyed in key
leadership positions at U.S. healthcare companies said they are
“very familiar” with the new regulations, while 17% said they are
completely unaware of it. Around 53% said they are “somewhat
familiar,” with 12% “vaguely familiar.”
Healthcare payers (insurance companies) appear somewhat better
informed and prepared for the new regulations than do healthcare
providers (hospitals, health systems, medical practices).
Specifically, 26% of payers surveyed said they are “very familiar”
with the regulations, compared to 16% of providers. Similarly, 26%
of payers believe their organization is “very prepared,” compared
to only 5% of providers who share that view.
Overall, 40% of those polled believe the requirements will have
little or no impact on the IT operations of their organization, and
30% see little impact on their organization’s ability to meet the
needs of their patients and customers.
“The ultimate goal of the upcoming regulations is to enhance
customer choice and improve patient services and outcomes by vastly
improving patient and cross-network access to patient medical
records,” said Andy Truscott, managing director and technology
consulting lead in Accenture’s Health practice and a member of U.S.
federal government advisory groups on health IT and Health Level
Seven (HL7). “Our survey findings are a wake-up call for health
organizations and agencies that remain relatively uninformed about
the regulations, or who are not actively preparing. Complying with
the regulations will provide them with a major opportunity to
enhance the services they provide and to fundamentally improve
consumer engagement in their healthcare.”
“In addition to moving the health care ecosystem in the
direction of interoperability, this legislation should also enable
a more holistic approach to providing comprehensive health and
human services within communities,” says Adelaide O’Brien, research
director IDC Government Insights. “Communities are forming
collaborative partnerships and ecosystems with health and social
service providers and connecting citizens to services such as
mental health professionals, so ensuring individuals and providers
have access to health care information should impact better
outcomes.”
Implications for Organizations
As a result of the findings, Accenture recommends healthcare
providers and insurance companies and other health organizations
handling patient medical records become well-versed in the upcoming
rules. Development of compliance plans and preparations needed to
reach compliance in 2020 should be a priority. Beyond basic
compliance objectives, there is current and growing opportunity to
explore and prioritize ideas to use the new regulatory framework to
improve services and value to their customers – patients, insurance
plan members, Medicaid beneficiaries, partner agencies and
programs.
Specifically, healthcare organizations lagging in awareness and
preparedness need to:
- Ensure their technology and compliance leadership are familiar
with the new rules,
- Assess and analyze their organization’s current
interoperability provisions,
- Complete gap analyses and develop remediation plans for a 12-18
month timeframe,
- Manage communications — internally and externally — to help
healthcare professionals and consumers adapt to the new rules.
Medicaid agencies, state health information exchanges, and state
chief information officers will also be impacted by the new law.
“The new regulations will have major implications for public sector
health entities, including Medicaid departments, state health
information exchanges, and state chief information officers,” said
Phil Poley, Accenture managing director for public sector health.
“These organizations will need to understand what the regulations
mean for them in terms of technology requirements, processes and
serving their customers, which include citizens and organizations
alike. Given the timetable and requirements for compliance, they
need to be in heavy preparation and planning mode now.”
About the Research
Accenture surveyed
76 chief information officers,
chief technology officers and VPs of information technology at U.S.
healthcare providers and healthcare payers with more than $1
billion in annual revenue. comprised 57 of the interviews, and
healthcare payers comprised 19, all from organizations with annual
revenues of at least $1 billion. Executives from providers
comprised 57 of the interviews, and executives from payers
comprised 19. The survey was conducted during June and July
2019.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 492,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com.
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Joe Dickie Accenture Health & Public Service +1 512 694 6422
joseph.r.dickie@accenture.com
Accenture (NYSE:ACN)
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