Government & Policy

"VA medical centers still operating the Oracle Cerner EHR need more personnel and resources; not less," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.

Native Americans face health disparities and interoperability challenges that make modernizing EHRs in tribal communities a critical need, according to Mitchell Thornbrugh, CIO of the Indian Health Service.

The Digital Therapeutic Alliance is one organization working to encourage tech vendors to address health equity throughout their product life cycles, says Jessica Hauflaire, COO of the DTA.

Texas chapters are working to advance health equity and other HIMSS goals with the state's legislature, reports Alan Lavergne, vice president of advocacy for the Dallas-Fort Worth HIMSS chapter.

The Federal Trade Commission proposes including more vendors of personal health records that access or send unsecured PHR-identifiable data in its rule governing health data sharing and unauthorized protected health information disclosure notifications.

By leveraging the collective power of stakeholders and governments, member states can advance health equity worldwide, says Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe at the World Health Organization.

The HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association says it has substantial concerns with regulatory deadlines and other stipulations in ONC's proposed interoperability and AI transparency rule.

The modified deal now includes much bigger monetary credits to VA if the company doesn’t meet key performance accountability metrics, and resets the partnership to five one-year terms. 

Encouraging state and regional HIMSS chapters to advocate for healthcare information policies in their area is critical, says Lawrence Voyten, HIMSS board member and national advocacy chair.