Blue Shield of California pushes for greater interoperability

On June 25th, Blue Shield of California with a coalition of 50 national provider organizations and health plans, sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advocating for increased sharing of electronic patient records among providers. The letter came in response to a CMS request for feedback on proposed rules related to the sharing of information, otherwise known as “interoperability.” Additional signatories include care providers such as Cambia Health Solutions and Iora Health, as well as technology providers Elation Health and Intel.

The letter emphasizes several benefits of health data sharing including, enhanced patient care though real-time communication, prevention of unnecessary care, and the reduction of readmissions. It explained that given the currently fragmented system of information sharing, CMS is in a unique position to influence best practices moving forward through the adoption of regulations to standardize interoperability, specifically with regard to admission, discharge, and transfer (ADT) of information related to inpatient hospitalizations.

Read full article published in State of Reform.