Coalition Supports Interoperability Provisions Of 21st Century Cures Act
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
A letter sent by a coalition of 30 organizations asserts technology will play a role in fostering 21st century cures.
In a June 23 letter, a coalition of 30 organizations representing providers, patient advocates, payers, and vendors voiced its strong support for the health IT interoperability provisions that are part of H.R. 6, or the 21st Century Cures Act.
The letter, addressed to Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone (D- NJ), applauded the bill as an effort to “address the known defects associated with interoperability” and said the undersigned “applaud the provisions included in H.R. 6 that will foster interoperability and leverage technology and data in improving our health systems.” The letter asserts the measures included in H.R. 6 were “a major positive step in fixing the problems associated with a lack of interoperability.”
Despite efforts to improve interoperability, the letter stated, “The sad reality is that current federal programs have not capitalized on the potential of interoperable health technologies or the application of data in advancing better treatments and cures. As a result, the tools Congress meant for improved quality, efficiency, and health outcomes have become burdens on providers and a drain on taxpayers.”
H.R. 6 appears to address these shortfalls, according to the signees, with industry-developed standards, distinct definition around common standards, APIs, and thorough testing.
Though not a signatory of the letter, the AMA has also made a public show of support for the legislation, writing, “The AMA strongly supports the 21st Century Cures initiative and continues to work with the Committee to craft this needed legislation.
“On January 29, 2015, the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) released a report, Innovations for Healthier Americans, outlining their views on the challenges to offering new safe treatments, devices and cures to patients quickly and effectively. The report largely focuses on accelerating and enhancing the efficiency of our nation’s healthcare ecosystem–discovery, development, and delivery. The AMA welcomes the opportunity to provide comment and work with the HELP Committee to advance legislation that supports 21st Century medical innovation.”
However, as Health Data Management reports, there has also been opposition to the legislation including that of the American Hospital Association. In a May 18 letter to Congressman Upton, AHA leaders said they had concerns about the 21st Century Cures Act’s “heavy-handed and duplicative enforcement mechanisms contemplated for providers” which “could have significant unintended consequences, including undermining new models of care and setting up an environment where well-intentioned providers face significant penalties for small mistakes.”