A reminder that January does not wait for anyone

The new year has arrived. The decorations are coming down, inboxes are filling back up, and teams are settling into 2026. The calendar has turned, but the compliance clock did not pause while everyone took a break.

For EHR vendors, HTI-1 and USCDI v3 are no longer future milestones. January 2026 is here, and with it comes a clearer line between preparation and assumption. This is the moment when plans meet reality, and when gaps that felt manageable in December start to feel much larger.

This is not about urgency or pressure. It is about clarity. Knowing what is in scope, what is already aligned, and where small adjustments now can prevent larger disruption later.

This guide looks at what real readiness means at the start of the year and how early alignment can keep your 2026 roadmap steady, predictable, and on your terms.

What Real USCDI v3 Readiness Actually Means

Checking boxes is not readiness. That is decoration.
True readiness means the underlying workflows, data models, modules, and testing steps are aligned long before CMS opens the compliance gates.

Here are the areas where most teams stumble once January arrives.

Misreading the scope of USCDI v3 data changes

Many vendors focus on the obvious fields and miss the deeper shifts. USCDI v3 touches clinical notes, lab data, transitions of care, social drivers, vital sign detail, and more. A partial update leads to a messy year of rework.

Waiting too long to validate workflows

Updating tables is not enough. The real risk appears when live workflows do not reflect the new data requirements. If the system cannot create, update, receive, and exchange USCDI v3 data consistently, certification becomes a long winter.

Underestimating January testing pressure

Once the holiday lights come down, the race begins. Vendors who start alignment in January often spend the rest of the year chasing issues instead of executing a clean plan.

Readiness is about protecting your timeline, not surviving it.

Why Early Alignment Prevents Holiday Hangovers in 2026

Once January hits, three realities show up fast.
• Gaps cost time.
• Time pressures create rework.
• Rework delays everything else in your roadmap.

Early alignment creates space to test, refine, and scale without panic. It gives you enough room to uncover edge cases, confirm interoperability, and resolve logic mismatches before they become public facing problems.

If you want a calm 2026, the work starts long before the champagne opens.

How Darena Health Helps EHRs Stay Ahead

Darena Health’s certified modules for (g)(9) FHIR APIs, (g)(10) standardized APIs, (g)(6) clinical decision support, and (b)(11) transitions of care are built for USCDI v3 readiness. They help you handle the new data requirements without reinventing your architecture during the busiest month of the year.

Our support model gives you:

• Early alignment so your teams do not begin January already behind
• Scalable data paths for USCDI v3 elements across workflows
• Certification-ready modules that reduce engineering load
• A smoother compliance runway before 2026 deadlines stack up

A Clear Path Into the New Year

If you want 2026 to start with confidence instead of catch-up, this is the moment to look closely at your readiness plan. Our tools are built to take pressure off your teams and give you room to focus on your roadmap instead of rework.
It is simple. Start early. Stay steady. Avoid the scramble.

January comes quickly. You should not have to start the year in crisis mode.