Morning Headlines 5/21/15

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has been the target of a cyberattack

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, which provides insurance to residents in Maryland and Washington DC, is the latest victim of a targeted cyberattack. The attack was carried out in June 2014 but was only just discovered during a system-wide security audit.  Hackers gained access to a total of 1.1 million patient records.

AHA recommends changes to 21st Century Cures interoperability provisions

In a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack expresses concerns over interoperability requirements outlined in the 21st Century Cures Act currently being debated in Congress, suggesting that instead of establishing information blocking penalties that could be applied to providers, which he calls duplicative, the bill simply funds the FTC to investigate and address anti-competitive information blocking practices among EHR vendors.

Health IT Standards Committee and Task Forces

ONC announces that it will sunset the Health IT Standards Committee’s permanent workgroups, replacing them with a series of time-limited task forces that will study and make recommendations on specific issues. The intent is to create a more agile HITSC and to increase public engagement by offering an opportunity to participate in smaller, less time-intensive projects.