This story was originally published on March 9, 2020. As part of MedPage Today
's review of the past year's top stories, we are republishing it, along with an update examining subsequent developments related to policies on electronic health records in 2020.
WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration today issued two final rules related to interoperability of healthcare records, with administration officials noting that making patient health records portable and accessible is especially critical during incidents such as the COVID-19 outbreak.
"At a time when the healthcare system could be under stress with the handling of the COVID virus, the urgent need for coordinated, integrated care could not be clearer," Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said on a phone call with reporters. "In a healthcare system characterized by the easy and seamless flow of information, one in which a patient's own data follows them to the provider they choose, care for patients would be drastically improved."