§ 171.205 Health IT performance exception—When will an actor's practice that is implemented to maintain or improve health IT performance and that is likely to interfere with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information not be considered information blocking?

An actor's practice that is implemented to maintain or improve health IT performance and that is likely to interfere with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information will not be considered information blocking when the practice meets a condition in paragraph (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section, as applicable to the particular practice and the reason for its implementation.

(a) Maintenance and improvements to health IT. When an actor implements a practice that makes health IT under that actor's control temporarily unavailable, or temporarily degrades the performance of health IT, in order to perform maintenance or improvements to the health IT, the actor's practice must be—