Dive Brief:
- Health IT Now is urging leaders of Congress's Armed Services committees to include the section of the Senate-passed National Defense Authorization Act in its conferenced version that would require the military to offer telehealth and reduce cost-sharing for these services.
- The healthcare lobbying coalition argued the change, "will allow the use of technology in the TRICARE program to grow to its fullest potential."
- A letter the coalition sent Wednesday called on Congress to be mindful of interoperability standards for prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs).
Dive Insight:
The interoperability issue is making sure the 49 states that have PDMPs have a way of sharing patient data to prevent patients from being able to drive to a different state, for example, to shop for a doctor, Politico's Morning eHealth noted.
"We are concerned that without clear direction from Congress on how states should implement standards for an interoperable PDMP program, some states may create new and disparate standards for interoperability," Executive Director Robert James Horne wrote in Wednesday's letter.
See Also: Interoperability is a four-letter word: Inching toward true exchange