College of Healthcare Management

Providers—who already had a tough time with last year’s more limited data blocking requirements—wrote that the still-unclear definition of electronic health information has led to “widely divergent approaches” in how stakeholders are interpreting which data qualify. Citing widespread confusion over upcoming federal information blocking requirements, hospitals, medical groups and long-term care organizations have asked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to push back its Oct. 6 compliance deadline by a full year. Ten major professional and trade organizations wrote in a Monday letter that their members are “making every feasible effort” to prepare for the deadline. However, the groups say it’s “evident” from their conversations with individual healthcare provider organizations, clinicians and even vendors that the industry is “not fully prepared for the Oct. 6 deadline.” “Despite our best efforts to educate our members, significant knowledge gaps and confusion still exist within the provider and vendors communities with respect to implementation and enforcement of information blocking regulations,” the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and others wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (PDF). “Given the great importance of these policies, we want to make sure that they are implemented as smoothly and successfully as possible—for both patients and the clinicians and providers who care for them.” The Oct. 6 regulations broaden the scope of information blocking rules put into effect in April 2021 that required health IT vendors, providers and health information exchanges to enable patients to access and download their health records with third-party apps. Under the rule, providers can't inhibit the access, exchange or use of health information unless the data fall within eight exceptions. Without postponement, the definition of electronic health information in the 21st Century Cures Act will expand to include all electronic protected health information that a patient has the right to access under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Providers—who already had a tough time with last year’s more limited requirements—wrote that the still-unclear definition of electronic health information has led to “widely divergent approaches” in how stakeholders are interpreting which data qualify. There is also “significant confusion” surrounding the eight information blocking exceptions and insufficient guidance on protecting sensitive health records, such as those related to substance use disorder or reproductive information, the groups wrote. “We continue to monitor and review ONC’s frequently asked questions, however, many of the questions we are raising are not clearly answered,” they wrote. The professional organizations said their members’ compliance is contingent on vendor readiness that so far appears to be falling behind schedule. There’s also a contrast between providers’ Oct. 6 deadline and the later cutoffs designated for certified vendors, “which is causing confusion and limitations on sharing of [electronic health information],” the groups wrote. Similar to an August warning letter penned by 28 health IT professional associations and other stakeholders, the providers told HHS to ramp up its outreach and education efforts surrounding the new guidelines. Best practices, implementation guides and other real-world guidance are especially needed by smaller or less-resourced organizations whose awareness of the impending requirements “remains very low, and [relies] heavily on their vendors,” the groups wrote. The organizations paired their call for delay with a request that HHS first issue corrective action warnings to noncompliant providers rather than immediate monetary disincentives or formal investigation. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to be partners with our patients and facilitate access to their records; the need for more time to ensure all providers and clinicians understand the policies, are prepared to meet them and have the technology to support these policies are critical,” they wrote. The 10 organizations that signed on to the letter were: America’s Essential Hospitals American Academy of Family Physicians American Health Care Association American Hospital Association American Medical Association Association of American Medical Colleges Federation of American Hospitals Medical Group Management Association National Association for the Support of Long Term Care College of Healthcare Information Management Executives

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), along with nine (9) other healthcare provider organizations, sent a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Xavier Becerra, requesting that HHS offer providers an additional year to comply with the October 6th, 2022 information sharing deadline. Continue Reading The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Press Release: 10 Healthcare Organizations Band Together To Urge HHS To Postpone Information Sharing Compliance Deadlines CHIME has been an ardent supporter of information sharing – and continues to advocate for patients' ability to access their healthcare information in a digital format. In order to meet the rapidly approaching deadline, CHIME members have been working diligently, with scarce resources at times, to ensure they are prepared to be in compliance when the upcoming deadline goes into effect. "CHIME members remain steadfast in their dedication to be a trusted partner for patients and safeguard their ability to access their healthcare records, but it's clear that more time is needed to ensure that providers have a thorough understanding of these important policies," said Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME. "There has not been enough guidance on best practices and potential enforcement." Overwhelming feedback from CHIME members, representing a broad range of providers from across the healthcare continuum – including their electronic health record (EHR) vendors, indicate that they are not fully prepared for the Oct. 6 deadline. With clinician burnout rates at an all-time high, CHIME believes that moving forward with unclear and inconsistent information sharing about data requirements could further strain healthcare providers, their support staff, and may inadvertently undermine HHS' goals to reduce provider burden, improve interoperability, and empower patients with their information. Branzell stated that the "need for clear guidance is so important, and we need to make sure that all healthcare providers fully understand the many nuances of these complex policies." Additionally, there are many small and rural providers that rely heavily on their EHR vendors for regulatory compliance support. While several EHR vendors have initiated information sharing programs for their customers, there are still hundreds of smaller health information technology (health IT) vendors not yet ready to meet these complex requirements. In addition to postponing the compliance deadline, the letter also requests that HHS use corrective action warning communication to providers – especially before they impose any financial penalties or begin formal investigations. CHIME urges HHS to ensure that providers and clinicians have the guidance, education, and technology to support these new policies before full implementation and enforcement of information sharing regulations. We believe strongly in information sharing and want to see these policies succeed. A successful implementation of information sharing necessitates that all stakeholders have the critical tools, knowledge, guidance, and systems in place to meet the requirements of the deadline. This is simply not the case for the majority of the providers represented by CHIME. Download the Letter from 10 Industry Stakeholders to the US Department of Health and Human Services Urging Agency To Postpone Information Sharing Compliance Deadline For any questions on the letter, email [email protected]. About CHIME The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 5,000 members in 56 countries plus two U.S. territories and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME and its three associations provide a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org. Contact Calli Dretke Vice President & Chief Digital and Marketing Officer CHIME 734.412.6255 [email protected] Mari Savickis Vice President, Public Policy CHIME 202.294.3828 [email protected] SOURCE College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME)

Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed with a range of cognitive and memory tests, but there's no definitive diagnostic test for the disease. But researchers have been able to use machine learning to evaluate MRI scans, diagnosing the disease in a single scan. For that and more research news, continue reading. Scientists Diagnose Alzheimer's with Single Scan Researchers at Imperial College London leveraged machine learning to examine structural features within the brain to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. Using this method, they also scanned parts of the brain not previously linked to Alzheimer's and was able to identify the disease at an early stage. Currently, diagnosis is via several cognitive tests, including memory tests, cognitive tests and brain scans. The scans look for evidence of protein deposits in the brain and shrinking of the hippocampus, the brain area associated with memory. The new scan uses MRI and an algorithm to classify cancer tumors modified for the brain. They split the brain into 115 regions and specified 660 features, such as size, shape and texture, to evaluate each region. They then programmed the algorithm to identify where changes accurately predict the existence of Alzheimer's. Their research was published in the journal Communications Medicine. "Currently, no other simple and widely available methods can predict Alzheimer's disease with this level of accuracy, so our research is an important step forward," Dr. Eric Aboagye, the lead researcher in the study, said. "Many patients who present with Alzheimer's at memory clinics do also have other neurological conditions, even within this group our system could pick out those patients who had Alzheimer's from those who did not." Leveraging data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, the researchers tested their approach on brain scans from more than 400 patients with early and late-stage Alzheimer's and individuals with other neurological disorders, including frontotemporal dementia and Parkinson's disease. They also evaluated data from more than 80 patients undergoing diagnostic testing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. In 98% of cases, their approach alone accurately predicted whether the patient had Alzheimer's or not. It could also distinguish between early and late-stage Alzheimer's with 79% accuracy. Women Underrepresented in Clinical Trials for 3 Key Disease Areas A study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital found that female participation in three specific disease areas lags behind their representation in the specific disease population. The key areas are adult cardiovascular, psychiatric, and cancer-related clinical trials. The study authors note that the disparity was particularly significant in clinical trials for drugs and devices for psychiatric disorders; in this area, women make up 60% of the patient population but only 42% of the trial participants. They analyzed 1,433 clinical trials with 302,664 participants and found that, on average, 41.2% of participants were female. In CV diseases, 49% of the patient population is female, but only 41.9% of trial participants were female. In cancer, 51% of cancer patients are female, but only 41% of clinical trial participants were female. Abnormal Lipid Processing May Drive Motor Neuron Diseases Researchers at the University of Exeter identified a new gene, TMEM63C, that appears linked to a degenerative disease affecting the nervous system's upper motor neuron cells. This supports their research into motor neuron degenerative diseases (MNDs), a large family of neurological disorders, suggesting they are the result of abnormal lipid processing in cells. Although MNDs are caused by changes in several different genes, the TMEM63C gene codes for a protein located in the region of the cell where the lipid processing pathways occur. They hypothesize that the appropriate maintenance of specific lipid processing pathways is vital to how brain cells function, and further, that abnormalities in the paths are common in motor neuron degenerative diseases. Females More Likely Than Males to Suffer Long COVID A new study from the Health of Women Team at the Johnson & Johnson Office of the Chief Medical Officer found that females were more likely to suffer from Long COVID and that females tended to present with different symptoms and/or disorders than males. In their data analysis of about 1.3 million patients, females presented with a range of symptoms, including ear, nose and throat issues, mood, neurological, skin, gastrointestinal and rheumatological disorders, and fatigue. Males, on the other hand, were more likely to experience endocrine disorders like diabetes and kidney disorders. Why this is the case isn't understood, but they suspect fundamental sex differences in the immune function may drive the differences in Long COVID. Females tend to have faster, more robust innate and adaptive immune responses that can protect them from initial infection and severity, but that may make them more vulnerable to prolonged autoimmune-related diseases. One of the problems with the study is that despite a large number of patients overall, only 35 articles of the 640,634 total articles in the literature offered sex-disaggregated data with enough details about symptoms to provide information about how the disease differed between males and females. New Combo Treatment for Pediatric T-Acute Leukemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of pediatric cancer, and the T-ALL type of leukemia has a poorer prognosis than B-lineage ALL. A study by Tampere University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology in Finland, the Massachusetts General Research Institute and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute identified a new drug combination that appears effective against T-ALL. Tampere had earlier found that Bristol Myers Squibb's Sprycel (dasatinib), a general tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was effective in about one-third of the tested patient samples, but its efficacy faded quickly. They found that treating the patients with dasatinib and temsirolimus (Pfizer's Torisel), which inhibits a parallel signaling pathway, was more effective in eradicating leukemia cells in zebrafish and human disease than a single drug. "This is a promising new treatment option for T-acute leukemia," Olli Lohi, M.D., Ph.D., research director at Tampere University and Tays Hospital's Cancer Centre, said. "The next step is to take the discovery into clinical practice for patients with relapsed or refractory disease via early phase clinical trials."