When HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told HIMSS attendees that his agency is “closing the enforcement gap” on the 21st Century Cures rule “later this year” by establishing financial penalties against providers who unnecessarily block healthcare information — it reminded us of a scene in a movie. In 1993, during the whacky month of March, the fabulous actress Marisa Tomei won best supporting actress for her role in the comedy My Cousin Vinny. If you watch her most famous scene, you can see why she won (and why the film is still talked about to this day). As the long-time girlfriend of the noncommittal Vinny (Joe Pesci), she confronts him about their forever-delayed wedding plans saying “My niece, the daughter of my sister, is getting married”—and bangs her high-heeled-boot-clad foot that satisfyingly echoes against the hard wood of a cabin porch to illustrate how her “biological clock is ticking like this.” We understand her impatience. The information blocking penalty clock has been ticking since April 24, 2020, when the HHS Office of Inspector General published its proposed rule to impose civil monetary penalties on entities who improperly block healthcare information. And enforcement is coming more than two years later? Marisa Tomei could have had two babies by now.
March 18, 2022 | 3 min read
March 18, 2022
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