On June 3, 2019, The Center submitted comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule regarding interoperability in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
In the comments, the Center expressed support for the Administration’s commitment to improving patient access to health information. However, we raised concerns about patient privacy created by increased data sharing, and urged CMS to focus on safeguards to protect private patient information. While supporting increased coordination and access to health information, the Center underscored the privacy and security concerns regarding sharing of health information, and urged CMS to ensure that such sensitive information is accessible only in a secure manner.
The Center also expressed strong support for measures that would improve data sharing for Medicare-Medicaid dually eligible beneficiaries by increasing the frequency of federal-state data exchanges.