The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on March 6 unveiled the government-wide MyHealthEData initiative designed to enable patients to obtain and share copies of their own electronic health records, action lauded by U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Michael Burgess (R-TX).
“By giving patients greater access to and control of their health care data, they are able to make more informed decisions and their doctors are empowered with the information needed to provide them with optimal care,” said Rep. Burgess, a medical doctor and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, adding that the initiative builds on efforts the Energy and Commerce Committee has put forth on both the 21st Century Cures Act and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.
MyHealthEData also will help streamline data, reduce duplicative tests, simplify reporting requirements and coincide with larger efforts to alleviate administrative burdens, Burgess said.
Rep. Roskam, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, also noted that MyHealthEData will help modernize the nation’s health care system. “This initiative is the first step in moving away from an antiquated health care system towards a more patient-centered system that allows us to use existing technology to improve the quality of care” and enable more data-sharing flexibility, Roskam said.
“CMS serves more than 130 million beneficiaries through our programs, which means we are uniquely positioned to transform how important health care data is shared between patients and their doctors,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma, who also this week called on private insurers to follow suit and provide patient claims data in digital form. “Enabling patients to control their Medicare data so that they can quickly obtain and share it is critical to creating more patient empowerment,” she said.
Verma also on March 6 announced enhancements to Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs and implementation of new laws prohibiting medical providers from blocking patient access to medical data.
“I look forward to learning more about these latest actions by CMS and further developing this important goal of putting patients at the center of their care,” Rep. Burgess said.