New ONC tools To Help Developers Comply with New Interoperability Rules

An API Resource Guide, specifics on new 2015 Edition Certification Criteria requirements and reminders about key compliance dates are among the resources for software developers to help ensure 21st Century Cures compliance.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has published a series of guides and tool kits to help tech developers get a jump on compliance with its 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule.

WHY IT MATTERS

The compliance dates for ONC's information blocking rules may have been pushed back due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, but they still draw nearer by the day.

ONC has provided these new resources meant to help the health IT developer community build products that meet the new certification requirements for standards-based APIs that can be used "without special effort."

Among these new resources, the 2015 Edition Cures Update Key Dates compiles the timelines developers need to adhere to in the work to develop certified systems, and help them keep apprised of the requirements they must meet along the way.

ONC's Cert Notes: 2015 Edition Cures Update Reference document is a one-stop shop noting all the changes made to the 2015 Edition Certification Criteria requirements as outlined in the ONC Cures Act Final Rule. Developers can use it to understand new adjustments to specific certification criteria as they work toward '2015 Edition Cures Update" certification status for their modules, officials say.

And the API Resource Guide is geared toward IT developers seeking ONC certification to one or more of the API certification criteria (170.315(g)(7) – (g)(10)) or compliance with API Conditions or Maintenance of Certification requirements, says ONC. It incorporates clarifications from the ONC Cures Act Final Rule preamble, Certification Companion Guides and additional educational materials to assist health IT developers to meet the API requirements of the ONC Certification Program.