First Phase of Cures Act Implementation To Go Live Jan. 22
In May, the federal government released new regulations focused on patient access, interoperability and information blocking. These regulations are related to the 21st Century Cures Act and the Interoperability and Patient Access final rule (CMS-9115-F). The regulations must be implemented by April 5, 2021.
The goal of these regulations is to give patients greater access to and control over their health care data. Research shows that engaged patients have better outcomes.
We will implement the Cures Act in two phases:
- Phase One will go live on Jan. 22. This phase will include open notes, immediate release of labs and restrictions to adolescent proxy access. This will reflect the original project scope that was planned for Nov. 2, before the government extended the implementation date to April 5. The FHIR/APP components of the Cures Act also will be implemented on Jan. 22.
- Phase Two will go live on April 2. This phase will include workflows for confidential and sensitive notes.
All providers and employees who access the electronic health record will be assigned education in Cornerstone OnDemand. The education should take about 30 minutes, and the deadline to complete it is Jan. 22.
We also have scheduled webinars for providers. These webinars will provide an overview of changes and give providers the opportunity to ask questions. Webinars will be held twice weekly from Dec. 29 through Jan. 20:
- Each Tuesday at 7 a.m. (Dec. 29, Jan. 5, Jan. 12 and Jan. 19)
- Each Wednesday at noon (Dec. 30, Jan. 6, Jan. 13 and Jan. 20)
Providers can log on to the webinar at this URL: https://carilion.webex.com/join/stracz.
For more information about the Cures Act, contact Kari Spradlin, Health Information Management, at kpspradlin@carilionclinic.org. For more information about the education or webinars, contact Sarah Racz, Education and Organizational Development, at stracz@carilionclinic.org.
