Review the Resources on healthcare policy and regulatory/legislative topics related to health and nursing informatics.
Consider the role of the nurse informaticist in relation to a healthcare organization’s compliance with various policies and regulations, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
Research and select one health or nursing informatics policy (within the past 5 years) or regulation for further study.
Create a 1-page fact sheet that your healthcare organization could hypothetically use to explain the health or nursing informatics policy/regulation you selected. Your fact sheet should address the following:
Briefly and generally explain the policy or regulation you selected.
Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on system implementation.
Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow.
Highlight organizational policies and procedures that are/will be in place at your healthcare organization to address the policy or regulation you selected. Be specific.
Impact on System Implementation
The Cures Act's information blocking provisions have a profound impact on how we implement and utilize health IT systems. Our Electronic Health Record (EHR) and other systems can no longer function as isolated data silos. They must be designed for interoperability. This means:
Open APIs: Our IT systems must be able to securely connect with third-party applications and services, allowing patients to access their data via smartphone apps.
Standardized Data Exchange: We are transitioning to modern data standards, like FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), to ensure that patient information is easily and consistently exchangeable between different health IT platforms, regardless of the vendor.
Proactive Data Release: System configurations are being updated to automatically release patient information, such as test results and physician notes, to the patient portal without manual review or delay, unless an official exception applies.
Impact on Clinical Care, Patient/Provider Interactions, and Workflow
This policy fundamentally changes the dynamic between providers and patients by empowering patients with immediate access to their health information.
Clinical Care and Patient Interactions: Patients are now partners in their care, with the ability to view test results and clinical notes often at the same time as their provider. This can lead to more engaged conversations, but also requires clinicians to be prepared to discuss results that a patient may have seen online before their appointment.
Workflow: The nursing workflow is evolving to include new responsibilities related to information sharing. Nurse informaticists are designing new processes to efficiently handle patient data requests and integrate patient-generated health data into the EHR. While this may add new steps, it also facilitates a more holistic view of the patient's health.
Organizational Policies and Procedures for Compliance
Our organization is committed to full compliance with the Cures Act's information blocking provisions through the following specific policies and procedures:
Sample Answer
Fact Sheet: Navigating the 21st Century Cures Act & Information Blocking
What is the Policy?
The 21st Century Cures Act is a landmark federal law enacted to accelerate medical product development and bring new innovations to patients faster. A key provision is the Information Blocking Rule, which prohibits healthcare providers, health IT developers, and health information exchanges (HIEs) from knowingly engaging in practices that interfere with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). In simple terms, it's a policy that gives patients and other authorized parties a legal right to their health data without unnecessary delays or barriers. This includes a patient's right to request and receive their electronic health information, including clinical notes and lab results, in a digital format they can share with others.