The federal government marches on with its push for more fluid data access and exchange among healthcare providers, their patients, and other industry stakeholders. To this end, regulators are instituting requirements to facilitate the flow of health information, to promote the interoperability of health information systems, and to prohibit the blocking of data transfers in certain circumstances.

The 21st Century Cures Act, passed by Congress in 2016, directed the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to implement a final rule for interoperability requirements and a standardization process for the public to report claims of potential information blocking, giving the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) the power to investigate claims of potential information blocking. The effective date for the final rule promulgated by ONC was April 5, 2021, with enforcement beginning on July 1, 2021.