Instant data dump mandated by info-blocking rules doing more harm than good, physician group argues

A leading physician trade group is warning recently enacted “information-blocking” rules are confusing and harming patients, and it’s calling on federal regulators to make a change.

On April 5, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT implemented interoperability standards broadly forcing healthcare providers, including radiologists, to grant patients immediate access to their health information.

Now nearly four months later, the American Medical Group Association says feedback from its nearly 175,000 multispecialty physician members shows the rules are adversely impacting patients. Namely, patients are receiving their results before docs can review, interpret and communicate with them.

“AMGA strongly supports information sharing and the need for patients to have quick access to test results and other clinical findings,” President and CEO Jerry Penso, MD, MBA, wrote in a July 27 letter addressed to ONC National Coordinator Micky Tripathi, PhD, MPP. “The problem … is that patients are learning about cancer diagnoses or other serious conditions from a computer, not a person. The rules unintentionally are favoring speed over compassion.”

AMGA recommends clinicians be given the option to delay the instant release of info for 24-72 hours if they believe immediate access will harm or distress a patient.

The regulations currently allow for such a delay, but the exception only applies to physical danger. AMGA, meanwhile, recommends expanding the definition to include emotional and mental distress.

“‘First do not harm’ is not just a slogan, but an underlying principle,” Penso said. “We live in a fast-paced world, and patients expect to have information at their fingertips. As healthcare providers, we can provide that information quickly, but sometimes it needs to be delivered with added context, expertise, and something a computer can’t provide, compassion and understanding.”

Read the full letter here.

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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.

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