Ankit Kumar Agarwal
Ankit Kumar agarwal is a Wharton Graduate and working as “Director of IT” with NewWave Telecom and Technologies Inc. Ankit is passionate about bringing impactful changes in people’s life and writes blogs to educate people and promote digital Health.
The 21st Century Cures Act is a legislation passed by the United States Congress in December 2016. The act aims to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of new treatments and cures for diseases, as well as to improve the nation’s mental health system. It also aims to modernize clinical trials, provide funding for medical research, and speed up the FDA drug and medical device approval process.
The act includes several provisions related to healthcare information technology and data sharing, including:
- The establishment of the Interoperability and Information Blocking provisions, which aims to promote the interoperability of health information systems, and prevent information blocking.
- The creation of a national patient identifier system, which aims to improve patient matching and reduce medical errors.
- The establishment of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to promote the development of a nationwide interoperable health IT infrastructure.
- Provisions that support the use of FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) as a standard for exchanging healthcare information.
- Provisions that support the use of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to enable secure and seamless access to electronic health information.
Overall, the 21st Century Cures Act aims to promote innovation and improve patient outcomes by modernizing healthcare information technology, and by supporting the development of interoperable systems that enable the secure exchange of healthcare data.
How does it Impact Interoperability?
The 21st Century Cures Act has a direct impact on FHIR interoperability in several ways:
- Interoperability and Information Blocking provisions: The Act requires healthcare providers and developers of health IT systems to support the exchange of electronic health information using FHIR and other standards. It also prohibits information blocking, which is the practice of preventing or limiting the exchange of electronic health information.
- Support for the use of FHIR: The Act specifically supports the use of FHIR as a standard for exchanging healthcare information, which helps to promote interoperability between different health IT systems.
- Support for the use of APIs: The Act supports the use of APIs, which are a key component of FHIR and are used to enable secure and seamless access to electronic health information.
- Creation of a national patient identifier system: The act also supports the creation of a national patient identifier system, which will help to improve patient matching and reduce medical errors. This can help to improve the interoperability of electronic health records and other health IT systems.
- Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC): The Act also establishes the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to promote the development of a nationwide interoperable health IT infrastructure. ONC is responsible for implementing and coordinating the national HIT infrastructure and HIT standards, including the use of FHIR.
Overall, the 21st Century Cures Act aims to promote interoperability by supporting the use of standards such as FHIR, and by requiring healthcare providers and developers of health IT systems to support the exchange of electronic health information using these standards.
Cures Act Benefits
The 21st Century Cures Act has the potential to bring several real-life benefits to healthcare, including:
- Faster access to new treatments and cures: The Act aims to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of new treatments and cures for diseases, which can lead to improved patient outcomes and increased access to life-saving treatments.
- Improved mental health services: The Act also aims to improve the nation’s mental health system, which can lead to better access to mental health services and improved outcomes for individuals with mental health conditions.
- Modernized clinical trials: The Act includes provisions to modernize clinical trials, which can lead to more efficient and effective trials and faster development of new treatments and cures.
- Increased funding for medical research: The Act also provides increased funding for medical research, which can lead to more discoveries and new treatments for a wide range of diseases.
- Faster FDA approval process: The Act aims to speed up the FDA drug and medical device approval process, which can lead to faster access to new treatments and cures.
- Improved patient matching and reduced medical errors: The Act also promotes the use of a national patient identifier system, which can help to improve patient matching and reduce medical errors.
- Improved interoperability of health IT systems: The Act promotes interoperability and information blocking, which can help to improve the exchange of electronic health information and promote continuity of care.
- Improved patient engagement: The Act also promotes the use of user-friendly applications that can be used by patients, providers and caregivers to access and manage healthcare information, which can improve patient engagement.
Overall, the 21st Century Cures Act has the potential to bring significant benefits to healthcare, including faster access to new treatments and cures, improved mental health services, and improved interoperability of health IT systems.
*This article is Peer Reviewed by the Distilinfo Editorial team prior to the publication.*
