EHRs

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, HHS on April 21 implemented enforcement discretion of its final interoperability rules.

As National Health Service hospitals in the U.K. prepare to expand care to an increasing amount of COVID-19 patients, several hospitals have ramped up their IT hardware and infrastructure, according to Dr. Anna Bayes, Allscripts UK medical director.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense rolled out a joint health information exchange, allowing the agencies to securely access and share patients' medical record data with participating community healthcare partners.

NYC Health + Hospitals and the New York Department of Health teamed up with Epic earlier this month to launch an EMR system across its 1,000-bed Javits Center field hospital for COVID-19 patients. 

Newark, N.J-based University Hospital and Epic developed an EHR system for the state's 250-bed field hospital at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, according to an April 14 news release. 

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic created an EHR tool that alerts staff members who may have been exposed to another employee or patient who has tested positive for COVID-19, according to local news affiliate KTTC. 

EHRs are helping hospitals and health systems across the country manage surging care requests and coordinate virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council.

The Chicago Department of Public Health partnered with Rush University Medical Center and Epic to implement an EHR system across the city's 3,000-bed COVID-19 alternate care facility at the McCormick Place Convention Center. 

HHS is expected to pause the enforcement of its final interoperability rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Politico's April 8 Morning eHealth newsletter.

The New York Department of Health and NYC Health + Hospitals deployed an Epic EHR system on April 6 at the Javits Center temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients in New York City.