Individual Access Services Open Forum by Brendan Keeler

This open forum, led by Brendan Keeler, Interoperability Practice Lead at HTD Health, focused on the progress of patient access to their own health data, with particular emphasis on recent developments in Individual Access Services.

• History of patient data access regulations (HIPAA to TEFCA)
• Principles of ideal patient access
• Current methods for patient data access
• Challenges and improvements for each access method
• TEFCA Individual Access Services and its implications

• Comparison of different patient access methods
• The role of Epic in adopting TEFCA Individual Access Services
• Challenges in identity proofing and app registration
• The evolution towards more standardized and accessible patient data

• TEFCA Individual Access Services represents a significant step forward in patient data access
• Epic's adoption may spur other EHRs to follow suit
• Challenges remain, particularly in identity proofing and universal login
• The U.S. is leading in patient data access, albeit in its own unique way
• Continuous iteration and improvement in patient access methods are crucial

• Monitor adoption of TEFCA Individual Access Services by other EHRs
• Work towards solving the "federated OAuth" problem for easier patient login
• Continue expanding USCDI dataset towards comprehensive EHI
• Address remaining challenges in identity proofing and app registration
• Encourage health systems to increase patient portal activation rates