The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (hereafter ASTP) is at the forefront of the administration’s health IT efforts and is a resource to the entire health system to support the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide, standards-based health information exchange to improve health care. ASTP is organizationally located within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Follow them @HHS_TechPolicy. Sign up for their email updates. Here is what they are doing and reporting.
News & Announcements
Websites Restored
HealthIT.gov, the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL), and other subsites are now back online. Thank you for your patience during the federal government shutdown.
Compliance Timelines
Certain ONC Health IT Certification Program compliance requirements have been impacted by the lapse in appropriations. They plan to issue additional information and guidance for certified health IT developers participating in the Program in the coming days. They also encourage certified health IT developers to contact ASTP/ONC through the Health IT Feedback and Inquiry Portal at https://inquiry.healthit.gov/ with any questions.
Events
ASTP Annual Meeting
When: February 11-12, 2026
Where: Washington D
The 2026 ASTP Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, DC February 11-12, 2026. The Annual Meeting will include in-person education and plenary sessions and networking opportunities for the health IT community. The main stage plenary sessions will also be available for viewing online. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks on the agenda, how to register, and how to reserve a hotel room through ASTP’s room block.
TEFCA RCE Monthly Informational Call
Third Tuesday of each month | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Learn more at The Sequoia Project.
Read
From the Health IT Buzz Blog – Learn more about health information technology (health IT) from HHS’s Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP). Check out the latest blog posts:
- TEFCA’s growing, are you in? Take a look at who’s participating in TEFCA Exchange
- A New Set of Indices to Measure Hospital Interoperability Progress
- Laboratory Data Standards for Interoperability
- New Data on the Certified Health IT Market Now Available
- TEFCA: Accelerating Government Benefits Determination for a Better Tomorrow
Resources
HTI-4 Final Rule
ASTP/ONC’s HTI-4 final rule finalizes certain proposals from the HTI-2 Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability proposed rule, including new and updated health IT certification criteria for electronic prior authorization, electronic prescribing, and real-time prescription benefit information. The HTI-4 final rule also includes several related criteria for application programming interface (API) functionality and finalizes the adoption of additional standards for HHS that support the exchange of clinical and administrative information with payers. HTI-4 is published as part of the FY2026 CMS Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule (CMS-1833-F).
The final rule is effective on October 1, 2025.
Information Blocking
Most clinical information is digitized, accessible, and shareable thanks to several technology and policy advances making interoperable, electronic health record systems widely available. In 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) made sharing electronic health information the expected norm in health care and authorized the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify “reasonable and necessary activities that do not constitute information blocking.” Information blocking exceptions are identified in 45 CFR Part 171. Learn more about laws, regulations, and policies related to information blocking.
United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI)
The United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) is a standardized set of health data classes and constituent data elements for nationwide, interoperable health information exchange. Review the USCDI Fact Sheet to learn more.
TEFCA
The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) establishes a universal policy and technical floor for nationwide interoperability; simplifies connectivity for organizations to securely exchange information to improve patient care, enhance the welfare of populations, and generate health care value; and enables individuals to gather their healthcare information. The Common Agreement establishes the infrastructure model and the governing approach for users in different networks to securely share basic clinical information under commonly agreed-to expectations and rules.
Certification of Health IT
The ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program) ensures that Certified Health Information Technology meets the technological capability, functionality, and security requirements adopted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).