These stakeholders gave Massachusetts an early jump on creating local and connected pools of healthcare data, and they have proven to be the reliable infrastructure that is needed for the unfettered flow of information. A decade before, the state had created Affiliated Health Networks of New England and Chief Information Officer Forum working groups, following it up two years later with the New England Healthcare Electronic Data Interchange Network. When ONC issued its RHIO directive, Massachusetts was ready to hit the ground running. Tasked with managing the transfer of healthcare information electronically across organizations, RHIOs were among the most important pieces of the puzzle when it came to growing EHR adoption. In 2004, the ONC was established to encourage the adoption of electronic health records, build a National Health Information Network and create local enablers of data exchange called regional health information organizations (RHIOs). Tripathi, who was tapped by the Biden Administration to lead the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) this past January, was instrumental in helping Massachusetts build regional networks and healthcare connectivity long before “health IT” became buzzy and data interoperability became a federal mandate. The eHealth Collaborative was led by then-CEO Micky Tripathi for over 15 years. Massachusetts has a head start in many ways due to the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, a nonprofit that pioneered EHR adoption and interoperability. Lesser known, the state has also been a long-time innovator in data interoperability and was early to grasp the idea that global or national connectivity for healthcare information begins with regional connectivity. Massachusetts, which ranks near the top (if not at the top) when healthcare quality is evaluated state-by-state, is home to some of the world’s top universities and has a well-deserved reputation in biotechnology innovation. Massachusetts is not one of those states. Over the past year, states have been scrambling to create interoperability networks that allow valuable healthcare data to flow from one organization to another without friction, delays, HIPAA violations, or other transmission or privacy issues. In the absence of interoperability, this type of situation happens regularly to people across the country. Instead, their primary care provider will be able to see the results of that initial X-ray, saving the patient from having to undergo an unnecessary, redundant, and potentially harmful second scan. Interoperability allows patients to get an X-ray in the ER over the weekend without having to order another from their primary care provider Monday. How many families, for example, have had to take a child to a specialist, only to have to start from square one with their pediatrician for a follow-up appointment? Ultimately, interoperability means getting the right data into the hands of both the patient and provider at the right time. ![]() It may sound complicated, but the lack of interoperability in healthcare is something that has impacted all of us on some level. Now, those benefits will soon be realized across the country. The exchange of health information across health systems, health plans, and patients in Massachusetts has produced a multitude of benefits, as better data has translated directly to reduced costs, better quality of care and improved patient experience. Much of the rules about sharing healthcare data that are taking place today build upon the leading work in Massachusetts that has been underway for well over a decade. ![]() The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) widely-anticipated Interoperability and Patient Access Rule finally arrived, improving how providers, electronic health records (EHRs), and insurers exchange health data for good - and, most importantly, placing unprecedented control of health data directly into the hands of patients. Patients may not realize it, but as of July 1, healthcare has changed forever.
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