21 Mar Health Data News Roundup: Payer-to-Payer Data Exchange Rule; Consumer-Directed Health Plans Broke Down Barriers; and Anthem Unveils Corporate Rebrand

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.

Payer-to-Payer Data Exchange Rule to be Published ‘Soon,’ CMS Head Says at #HIMSS22
The Biden administration has been working on additional rulemaking to address issues with the payer-to-payer data exchange requirements set out in sweeping interoperability rules finalized in early 2020, and “we look forward to sharing this rule with you soon,” CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure told attendees at the HIMSS annual conference last week.

DirectTrust Launches Consensus Body, Patient Matching Data Standard
DirectTrust has launched an initiative to develop a new data standard to support a voluntary nationwide patient matching ecosystem, called the Privacy-Enhancing Health Record Locator Service (PEHRLS) Ecosystem Consensus Body.

Trends, Changes in 2020 Medicare Supplement Plan Enrollment
Overall, Medicare Supplement plan enrollment decreased slightly in 2020, but a select few plans continued to grow with nearly 90 companies offering plan policies, according to an AHIP report.

Standardized APIs Could Finally Make It Easy to Exchange Health Records
Harvard Business Review recently provided this deep-dive perspective into how APIs could finally pave the way for effective health data exchange.

Consumer-Directed Health Plans Broke Down Barriers to Care During Pandemic
A new AHIP study found that the vast majority of CDHPs took advantage of the flexibilities that Congress permitted in 2020 and 2021, covering many physical and mental health care services on a pre-deductible basis.

Anthem Unveils Corporate Rebrand as Elevance Health
Last week, Anthem announced a corporate rebrand, with the company planning to now operate as Elevance Health, which is a word-play combination of “elevate” and “advance.”