On December 17, 2024, the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (Task Force) released a highly-anticipated report titled, “Bipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence,” (the Report) which establishes guiding principles and issues recommendations to guide U.S. innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), including in the healthcare sector. The Report is intended to serve as a blueprint for Members of Congress as they conduct oversight and introduce legislation to address advances in AI technologies, including the regulation of health-specific AI applications.Continue Reading House Task Force on AI Issues Report and Proposes Healthcare Recommendations
HIPAA
RCE Issues Technical Guidance Governing TEFCA Exchange
Federal policy efforts to advance health data exchange and interoperability through the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) have advanced rapidly in the past several months. Since TEFCA became operational in December 2023, the seven designated Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) have been facilitating data exchange under the TEFCA framework. The Sequoia Project, Inc., the TEFCA Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) or the organization responsible for providing oversight and the governing approach for QHINs, released over the past several months (on July 1, August 6, and November 13, 2024) its latest batch of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which are written procedures or other provisions that are adopted pursuant to the Common Agreement. In the below summary, we outline a number of TEFCA-related policy developments and highlight considerations from the SOPs that are important to health information networks (HINs)/health information exchanges (HIEs) and other entities keeping apprised of interoperability policy developments.Continue Reading RCE Issues Technical Guidance Governing TEFCA Exchange
Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Issues Health Data Privacy Policy Recommendations
On February 21, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a report to propose policy recommendations to revise the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) framework and ensure privacy protections for health data and information. In the report, Senator Cassidy highlights recent reports of breaches and violations of patients’ health data privacy and outlines several proposals to modernize the HIPAA framework and other privacy regulations.Continue Reading Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Issues Health Data Privacy Policy Recommendations
CMS Issues Guidance on HIPAA-Compliant Secure Texting Platforms
On February 8, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a quality standard memorandum (Memorandum) clarifying that hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) may transmit patient information and orders via text message under certain conditions. Although Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) continues to be the preferred method of order entry, healthcare team members are permitted to share patient information and orders among themselves through a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)-compliant secure texting platform (STP) in accordance with Medicare and Medicaid Conditions of Participation (CoPs). The Memorandum reverses CMS’s position in a January 2018 memorandum and is effective immediately.Continue Reading CMS Issues Guidance on HIPAA-Compliant Secure Texting Platforms
Medicaid Redetermination Flexibilities and Data Sharing Under HIPAA
The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has pushed government benefit programs to reassess the use of their data that will ultimately improve access to health care benefits and streamline their processes to provide health and social services. With the end of pandemic-era policies like continuous enrollment, beneficiaries have been losing coverage while states face challenges reviewing Medicaid eligibility and may benefit from data sharing across government programs. Prior to the end of the PHE, KFF estimated that between 8 million and 24 million beneficiaries would be disenrolled. As of August 23, close to 5.4 million Medicaid beneficiaries have been disenrolled; and 74% of disenrollees have had their coverage terminated due to procedural reasons (e.g. changed addresses, did not receive a form, or did not have enough information about the renewal process).[i] This means that individuals are disenrolled because they did not complete the renewal process within a specific time frame or the state has outdated contact information.Continue Reading Medicaid Redetermination Flexibilities and Data Sharing Under HIPAA
CHS Turns One & Unveils Trends in Transformations Blog
Crowell Health Solutions turns one and to celebrate is launching its own blog, Trends in Transformation. Below CHS recaps what the team accomplished in its first year and what the consultancy looks forward to achieving in 2023.Continue Reading CHS Turns One & Unveils Trends in Transformations Blog