CMS is hosting a webinar July 11 to discuss its new Data Element Library (DEL). The DEL, which launched June 21, is a public resource that allows users to view the specific types of data CMS requires post-acute care providers including home health agencies to collect as part of patients’ assessments. 
 
During the webinar, CMS officials will speak about the IMPACT Act and provide an overview and demonstration of the DEL.
 
The webinar is slated for 1 p.m. EST July 11. Sign up at https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms/index.jsp?seid=1083. Officials will provide time for a question-and-answer session following their presentation.
 
One crucial thing about the DEL is that it includes health IT standards “that support the collection of health information, which are the nationally agreed upon methods for connecting electronic health systems together,” a CMS release about the DEL states. “Because the DEL now puts these standards and data elements all in one place in a ‘one-stop shop,’ it will be much easier for health IT vendors to incorporate them into electronic health records (EHRs) that are used by post-acute care providers. Integrating these data elements into EHRs will ultimately allow health information to flow more easily from one provider to another.”
 
CMS Administrator Seema Verma has previously described the DEL as an important building block when it comes to establishing interoperability.
 
 “The DEL supports the use and sharing of data, and aligns with MyHealthEData, a governmentwide effort strengthening the interoperability of health information,” Verma said in a release. “It also closely aligns with CMS’ Patients Over Paperwork initiative focused on reducing administrative burden and costs while improving care coordination, outcomes and patients’ ability to make decisions about their own care.”