On December 10, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services released a notice of proposed rulemaking Reducing Provider and Patient Burden by Improving Prior Authorization Processes, and Promoting Patients’ Electronic Access to Health Information, which builds on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Interoperability and Patient Access final rule released earlier this year. This new proposed rule includes additional proposed requirements for payers to implement standards-based application programming interfaces (APIs) that can help address critical health care challenges such as improving the efficiency of prior authorization processes.

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Combatting the opioid crisis is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the nation. Equipping healthcare providers with easy access to data about their patients’ opioid prescriptions is one strategy to help reduce opioid misuse. Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are state-run databases that collect patient-specific prescription information at the point of care, or when a controlled substance is dispensed. PDMPs can be a tool for health care providers to improve prescribing practices,

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