Azar Blasts Critics Of Interoperability Rules, Calls Their Views ‘Unpopular’

HHS Secretary Alex Azar took aim at critics of the interoperability rules proposed by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator on Health IT and CMS, warning them that “defending the status quo is a pretty unpopular place to be,” and asserting that the rules, once finalized, will preserve patient privacy. Azar, speaking at ONC’s annual conference on Monday (Jan. 27), praised the rules unveiled last February which propose the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). The ONC proposal calls...