Better healthcare information access
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota supports healthcare interoperability for Medicare Advantage and Minnesota Health Care Programs (Medicaid) members.
Connecting health information systems
It hasn't been easy for health care organizations, whether doctors, hospitals and clinics, health insurers, pharmacists or other organizations, to easily share and use information that can help people get the right, most affordable care. Though there have been many advances in health care technology, such as electronic health records, different systems can't seamlessly connect with each other.
The goal of achieving "interoperability" is to fix this problem. Health information systems will be enabled to work together to advance the effective delivery of health care.
For now, based on government guidance, the program is focused on supporting Medicaid (Minnesota Health Care Program) and Medicare Advantage members.
For reference
Detailed information about regulations and technical guidelines for developers.
For members
Read the information you need to choose a third-party application to access your health plan information.
For developers
Learn about our provider directory and patient access APIs to create your application.
About the mandate
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Interoperability and Patient Access final rule establishes policies that break down barriers in the nation’s health system to enable better patient access to their health information, improve interoperability and unleash innovation, while reducing burden on payers and providers. Read the CMS fact sheet.
Improving health care
As noted in Becker's Health IT, the benefits of achieving interoperability include:
- Improved care coordination and patient experiences
- Increased patient safety
- Strengthened privacy and security for patients
- Increased productivity and lowered costs
- Improved accuracy of public health data
Two components address top needs
In a nutshell, interoperability guidelines involve two components:
- Provider directory: Making it easier to find in-network health care providers
- Patient access: Combining patients' information from many care partners into a single view
About payer-to-payer data exchange: CMS has delayed enforcement of the requirements pending further guidance. We will provide more information when it's available.