On April 11, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the proposed rule for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 update to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS). This annual update adjusts Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient and long-term care hospitals.
Continue Reading CMS Issues FY 2026 Hospital IPPS Proposed Rule and LTCH PPS Proposed RuleThe Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) and State Data Exchange is Moving Forward in 2024
Health data exchange and interoperability have entered a new chapter in the U.S. In 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) included a requirement that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) create a Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) for nationwide health information exchange. Seven years later, on December 12, 2023, ONC announced that the nationwide health data exchange governed by TEFCA is operational. At the signing event, many Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials celebrated the announcement including Secretary Xavier Becerra, Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, and National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Micky Tripathi.
Continue Reading The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) and State Data Exchange is Moving Forward in 2024ONC Releases Final Rule on Information Blocking and Health IT Certification Program Updates, Including Requirements Related to AI
On December 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) Final Rule.
Continue Reading ONC Releases Final Rule on Information Blocking and Health IT Certification Program Updates, Including Requirements Related to AIONC Releases a Framework for Nationwide Health Information Exchange
On January 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the entity chosen as a contracting partner, The Sequoia Project, Inc., published the long-awaited Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) for health information exchange. In simple terms, TEFCA is a framework that health information networks (HINs) may enter into to share health data with other HINs, individuals, and entities. The stated goal of TEFCA is to develop uniform policies and technical requirements to scale health information exchange nationwide and ensure that HINs, health care providers, health plans, individuals, and other stakeholders can access real-time, interoperable health information.
Continue Reading ONC Releases a Framework for Nationwide Health Information Exchange