03 Feb Health Data News Roundup: IMAT Achieves NCQA Certification; Patient Access and ONC Rule; and UPMC and Social Determinants

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

IMAT Solutions Achieves NCQA eCQM Certification
Last week, we announced that IMAT Solutions has achieved its National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) eCQM Certification, which helps to ensure data integrity, improves efficiency in collecting data and can be used as standard supplemental data to calculate HEDIS® measures.

Rucker: Patient Data Access, Choice is at Heart of ONC Rule
Last week, National Coordinator for HIT Don Rucker told the ONC annual meeting that what the agency is proposing in its rule is the transmission of patient data through the use of OAuth 2 authentication to authorize data sharing via apps.

How UPMC Coordinates Compounding Social Determinants of Health
UPMC’s new Social Impact Initiative consolidates social determinants of health programs to better coordinate services and improve member’s health outcomes.

DirectTrust Facilitates 811M Data Exchange Transactions in 2019
DirectTrust announced a record of 811 million secure direct messages in 2019, a 200 percent increase, from the 274 million transactions that occurred in 2018.

New SHIEC Survey Shows Growing Link Between HIEs and Social Service Organizations
HIEs report robust connections with community and social service organizations and are moving significant volumes of data, according to a new SHIEC survey.

Centene-WellCare Merger Alters GA Medicaid Managed Care Landscape
The Centene-WellCare merger has changed Georgia’s Medicaid managed care landscape, giving Centene-WellCare the majority of the state’s Medicaid business.

Backing for Unique Patient Identifier Picks Up Steam at ONC Conference
The health IT world is stumping for a unique patient identifier for every U.S. citizen following signs from Congress that it’s open to the idea, according to this Healthcare Dive article from the ONC conference.

BCBS Tackles Outpatient Generic Medication Spending, Access
Eighteen Blue Cross Blue Shield Association companies will be forming a subsidiary to handle high outpatient generic medication spending and combat drug shortages, announced Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

The Sequoia Project Provides Feedback to Information Blocking Rule
The Sequoia Project’s Information Blocking Workgroup has released new guidance and feedback for the ONC ahead of the agency’s information blocking final rules.