May 30, 2019: MGMA submits comments on ONC proposed rule on interoperability, information blocking, and health IT certification program

May 30, 2019  

Donald Rucker, MD
National Coordinator
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Department of Health and Human Services  
200 Independence Avenue, SW  
Washington, DC 20201  

RE: 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program 

Dear National Coordinator Rucker:

The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is pleased to submit the following responses to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Proposed Rule, 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program. This regulation seeks to move the health care ecosystem in the direction of interoperability and to meet the vision outlined in the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) to improve access to, and quality of, information that physician practices and others require in order to make informed healthcare decisions. We commend ONC for recognizing the need to improve interoperability to increase access to healthcare information and for seeking stakeholder feedback on how this best can be accomplished.    

MGMA is the premier association for professionals who lead medical practices. Since 1926, through data, people, insights, and advocacy, MGMA empowers medical group practices to innovate and create meaningful change in healthcare. With a membership of more than 40,000 medical practice administrators, executives, and leaders, MGMA represents more than 12,500 organizations of all sizes, types, structures and specialties that deliver almost half of the healthcare in the United States.  

ONC has proposed an extremely ambitious set of requirements for physician practices and health IT developers. We support many of the Administration’s health IT goals, particularly putting patients at the center of the care delivery process by arming them with the health information they need. Our hope is that interoperability, if appropriately implemented, will permit physician practices and other care providers to gain quicker access to more accurate and pertinent patient information. This transformation could lead directly to enhanced efficiency and improved clinical performance. 
 

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