The HHS says EHR vendors and providers have been hoarding patient information to maintain their competitive edge, but not all experts agree.
In April of 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made headline news by sending a report to Congress entitled: Report on Health Information Blocking.1 The report, which was compiled by HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC), discussed the “extent of health information blocking and a comprehensive strategy to address it.” In its executive summary, ONC emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, concluding that “Complaints and other evidence described in this report suggest that some persons and entities are interfering with the exchange or use of electronic health information in ways that frustrate the goals of the HITECH [Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health] Act and undermine broader healthcare reforms. These concerns likely will become more pronounced as both expectations and the technological capabilities for electronic health information exchange continue to evolve and mature.”
Healthcare Data Blocking: Fact or Fiction? by Paul Cerrato