HIMSS Public Policy Center
Interpreting government health policies and regulations.
The HIMSS Public Policy Center helps our members—and the industry—interpret and implement government health policies and regulations for the transformation of health and wellness. We provide decision-makers at federal and state levels with educational materials and public policy recommendations on the value of health information and technology.
21st Century Cures Act
Advancing interoperability and patient access to information
The 21st Century Cures Act focuses on making important investments in accelerating medical product development and bringing new innovations and advances to patients who need them faster and more efficiently. Enacted in 2016, the Cures Act also includes several health IT-specific policies, from increasing innovation and competition by allowing more choice in care and treatment, reducing burden as well as advancing interoperability through new application programming interface (API) requirements, and promoting patient access to their electronic health information (EHI)