Maverick's Update

On this day 222 years ago, the Rosetta Stone was discovered — cracking the code on how to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics. We have come so far with our coding and translation ability, that President Biden released a sweeping executive order that is designed (in part) to be a check on the market power of technology companies. More on that in the One Thoughtful Paragraph below.

Health information policy news to translate this week:

1. ONC announced the timeline and process to achieve a successful launch of the TEFCA framework, with the goal of having the new network open for participation in a nationwide exchange of health information in the first quarter of 2022.

2. Colorado is the third state to adopt a new consumer privacy law. Like California and Virginia, the new law creates new consumer data privacy rights and protections, including sensitive health data, requiring businesses to be transparent and provide reasons for using an individual’s information. Unlike California and Virginia, consumers can opt out of the sale, collection and use of personal data in certain circumstances. And while HIPAA entities are exempt from the new Colorado law, it is employment security for privacy lawyers everywhere who have to help multistate businesses figure out who can do what with health data that is beyond the bounds of HIPAA.

3. ONC released an updated data standard — the U.S. Core Data Interoperability Version 2 (USCDI v2) — encouraging health IT developers to include new data classes that will help collect and exchange information about social issues that affect health outcomes (e.g., education, sexual orientation, access to transportation).

One Thoughtful Paragraph