What’s Happening at the ONC

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Posted By: HHS/ONC/CMS Communications March 25, 2024

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) 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 health information exchange to improve health care. ONC is organizationally located within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Here is what they are doing and reporting. Follow them @ONC_HealthIT. Sign up for their email updates.

Events

ONC Health IT Certification Program Developer Roundtable

When: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET
Register for this event.

Join the ONC Health IT Certification Program for the upcoming quarterly ONC Health IT Certification Program Developer Roundtable. These public meetings are open to all health IT developers, regardless of their participation in the ONC Health IT Certification Program. During these meetings, ONC leads discussions tailored for the health IT developer community on topics such as Certification Program updates, upcoming certification deadlines, and developer requirements.

USCDI+ Cancer Data Exchange Summit

When: Wednesday, May 8 and Thursday, May 9, 2024
Registration and Agenda

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) are excited to announce the upcoming United States Core Data for Interoperability Plus (USCDI+) Cancer Data Exchange Summit, May 8-9th. This two-day, in person meeting will bring together clinical, scientific and technical communities for information sharing as we identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in existing data standards and availability of data needed to implement the USCDI+ Cancer Moonshot Use Cases. In person registration for the USCDI+ Cancer Data Exchange Summit is limited due to logistical constraints and physical capacity. For those unable to attend in person, we are pleased to offer a virtual participation option. While active participation in break-out groups won’t be possible, you can still gain valuable insights by tuning in remotely to plenary sessions, keynote addresses, and updates on the USCDI+ Cancer use cases. Details on accessing the virtual platform will be provided closer to the event date.

News & Announcements

The HITAC Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2023 was recently published on HealthIT.gov. A HITAC workgroup developed the report to be submitted to the Secretary of HHS and Congress, as they do every year and as mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act. The annual report provides the following:

  • Analysis of HITAC progress related to the target areas
  • Assessment of health IT infrastructure and advancements in the target areas
  • Analysis of existing gaps in policies and resources for the target areas
  • Ideas for potential HITAC activities to address the identified gaps

In conjunction with the Annual Report, they have also made available a Supplemental Background Research Document for the FY23 Annual Report.

Resources

21st Century Cures Act Summary

The 21st Century Cures Act, signed December 13, 2016, by President Obama, promotes and funds the acceleration of research into preventing and curing serious illnesses; accelerates drug and medical device development; attempts to address the opioid abuse crisis; and tries to improve mental health service delivery. The Act includes a number of provisions that push for greater interoperability, adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and support for human services programs.

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).

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.

Read

From the Health IT Buzz Blog – Learn more about HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Check out the latest blog posts:

ONC Interoperability Pledge

Companies that provide 90 percent of electronic health records used by hospitals nationwide as well as the top five largest health care systems in the country have agreed to implement three core commitments: Consumer Access, No Blocking/Ensuring Transparency, and Standards. The ONC (@ONC_HealthIT) wants vendors to sign a pledge. Is your vendor pledging? Find out who is on the list.