HHS Sends Seven Potential Nonconformity Letters in Crackdown on Health Data Blocking
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued seven letters of potential nonconformity to companies that may have illegally blocked access to health data, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Thomas Keane said Thursday at the ADAPT conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
According to Nextgov, Keane did not disclose which companies received the letters. He said the companies have been able to remediate the allegations of restricted data access, and that "for the most part, folks have said, 'you know what, you're right, we shouldn't have been doing this, and we're going to change our behavior.'" The number of letters had not previously been reported.
"Information blocking" refers to practices that interfere with patients', providers' and other stakeholders' access to electronic health information. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in late 2016, prohibits the practice, and later regulations spelled out penalties for entities found to have committed it, including a civil penalty of up to $1 million per violation. In September 2025, HHS said it would take an "active enforcement stance" against health care entities that illegally block access to information.
Keane told attendees his office is working with the HHS Office of Inspector General, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the regulations, and wants health IT companies and other regulated entities to understand the rules and change their data sharing practices voluntarily. "If not, we take an enforcement posture," he said.
At the same time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is holding "troubleshooting calls" that bring together patients, electronic health record companies and medical providers to get patient data moving. CMS Deputy Administrator Amy Gleason said two such calls have been held so far, and both succeeded in getting patient data to move. (GSM, based on Nextgov reporting)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的卫生与公众服务部（HHS）总部汉弗莱大楼标识牌（2025年2月摄）。照片：G. Edward Johnson，CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源。Photo: The sign for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services headquarters at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington, February 2025. By G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
