CMS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2018
Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS
Media Inquiries
CMS
Launches Data Element Library Supporting Interoperability
New resource provides
streamlined access to CMS assessment data elements mapped to health IT
standards
Today, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the agency’s first Data Element Library
(DEL). The DEL is a new CMS database that supports the exchange of
electronic health information. Using this free, centralized resource, the
public for the first time can view the specific types of data that CMS
requires post-acute care facilities (such as nursing homes and
rehabilitation hospitals) to collect as part of the health assessment of
their patients. These assessments include
questions and response options (data elements) about patients, including
demographics, medical problems and other types of health evaluations. Many
of these data elements have been standardized, which means that they are
exactly the same no matter which type of post-acute care facility is using
them. Healthcare facilities integrate all of this patient information into
their medical record systems, and this information is used for multiple
purposes, such as payment by CMS, quality measurement and quality
improvement. It is important to note that the DEL doesn’t contain
any patient-identifiable data whatsoever.
The DEL also includes the
health information technology (health IT) standards that support the
collection of health information, which are the nationally agreed upon
methods for connecting electronic health systems together. Because the DEL
now puts these standards and data elements all in one place in a “one-stop
shop,” it will be much easier for health
IT vendors to incorporate them into electronic health records (EHRs) that
are used by post-acute care providers. Integrating these data elements into
EHRs will ultimately allow health information to flow more easily from one
provider to another. For example, when a patient moves from a
rehabilitation hospital to a skilled nursing facility, then from that
facility to home under the care of a home health agency, the transfer of
the patient’s health record from one facility to the next will be much
easier because they are all “speaking the same language.” This means better
communication across healthcare providers, lower burden on providers and
ultimately improved coordination of care for patients.
“We’re excited to add this important
building block to the foundation for interoperability that CMS is helping
to establish,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “The DEL supports the
use and sharing of data, and aligns with MyHealthEData, a governmentwide effort strengthening the interoperability of health
information. It also closely aligns with CMS’ Patients Over Paperwork initiative focused on reducing administrative
burden and costs while improving care coordination, outcomes and patients’
ability to make decisions about their own care.”
The DEL furthers CMS’ goal of data
standardization and interoperability, which is also a goal of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation
(IMPACT) Act of 2014. The DEL
will:
·
serve as a resource for CMS assessment data elements;
·
promote sharing of CMS assessment data sets and health
IT standards; and
·
influence and support industry efforts to promote
electronic health records (EHRs) and interoperability.
The DEL is just one part of the MyHealthEData initiative. As another core piece of MyHealthEData, CMS is proposing
to overhaul the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive
Programs to increase flexibility and reduce burden for providers, promote
information sharing between providers and patients, and incentivize
providers to make it easier for patients to obtain their medical records electronically.
To view the CMS Data Element Library,
please visit: https://del.cms.gov/
To view a fact sheet about the CMS Data
Element Library, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2018-Fact-sheets-items/2018-06-21.html
For questions about the CMS Data Element
Library, please contact DELHELP@cms.hhs.gov
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