Senate hearing digs into interoperability, information blocking rules

The interoperability provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act were discussed at a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Tuesday. Senators praised the proposed rules as beneficial to patients and clinicians, but expressed concerns about moving too quickly, inflexible data management standards, and the potential for information blocking. Former ONC Chief Privacy Officer Lucia Savage testified that info blocking is bad for patients and for business. Dr. Christopher Rehm, CMIO at Lifepoint Health, emphasized the need for interoperability and called for caution in relying on patient-mediated interoperability.