HHS Releases Proposed Rule for Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed rule for public comment.

The HTI-2 proposed rule reflects the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) “focused efforts to advance interoperability and improve information sharing among patients, providers, payers, and public health authorities.”

The proposed rule has “two sets of new certification criteria designed to enable health IT for public health as well as health IT for payers to be certified under the ONC Health IT Certification Program. These new certification criteria, which would improve public health response and advance the delivery of value-based care, focus heavily on standards-based application programming interfaces to improve end-to-end interoperability between data exchange partners (health care providers and public health organizations or payers).”

It also includes “several proposed technology and standards updates that build on the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) final rule, published in January 2024, ranging from the capability to exchange clinical images (e.g., X-rays) to the addition of multi-factor authentication support,” among other things. It also clarifies information surrounding information blocking regulations and proposes new rules in an attempt to “address concerns about potential information blocking consequences if an entity chooses to limit sharing of a patient’s reproductive health care information in certain circumstances. This proposal would build on other key steps HHS has taken to strengthen patient and provider privacy, including for those seeking or providing lawful reproductive care.”