Manatt Health Partner Alex Dworkowitz spoke with HealthPayerIntelligence on the CMS announcement that its interoperability guidance would not be enforcing the payer-to-payer data exchange rule on January 1, 2022. According to the publication, the agency added that this policy will not affect any other interoperability regulations’ timelines.
However, Dworkowitz pointed out that despite the lack of enforcement on the payer-to-payer data exchange front, the policy will still have an impact on the industry’s overall progress toward interoperability.
"The two other main components of the interoperability rule are still in effect," Dworkowitz noted. "Those require plans to make much of their information available to members so those members can download data via apps, and hospitals to send out admission and discharge notifications to other providers. So the rule is still having an important impact on data exchange. What will be different is there will be fewer disclosures between health plans, at least for the time being."
Dworkowitz was also quoted in InsideHealthPolicy on the subject.