Health IT advances for the 21st century

The United States is working toward a value-based health care system in which reimbursement will be based on quality outcomes rather than on Current Procedural Terminology payment codes. Health data will be more easily shared, and patients will have more control of their records. Health information technology advances in the federal 21st Century Cures Act follow earlier related legislation and regulation that moved clinical care and research forward. Policy analysis of the Cures Act is presented following the three phases of the Longest model (2010): formation, implementation, and modification. With the passage of the Cures Act and promulgation of its final rules, the formation phase is complete. The implementation phase has begun. Modification may occur, based on the evaluation of key deliverables over time. Advanced practice nurses are well-suited to the use of electronic tools to share data with patients and other providers. New competencies, tools, and infrastructure are needed for advanced practice nurses to fully participate in value-based health care. Full implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act with the use of coded concepts in standardized nursing terminologies will provide an ideal foundation for strong patient-centered care, population health, and reimbursement that takes advanced nursing practice into account.