In March 2026, HHS announced that it reversed a 2024 reorganization that: (1) dually titled the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ASTP/ONC), headed by the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy, dually titled as the National Coordinator for Health IT; (2) moved three HHS-wide technology roles to ONC from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO); and (3) shifted specific cybersecurity functions out of OCIO. The action restored a unified, Department wide technology leadership model by returning these enterprise responsibilities to OCIO while sharpening ONC’s mission focus on nationwide health IT interoperability and data liquidity.
News & Announcements
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology
The Notice outlines three Areas of Interest that are a priority for the ONC:
- Accelerate the use of agentic artificial intelligence solutions in clinical care and/or clinical trials
- Expand Lantern’s API monitoring capabilities by integrating secure, community-driven feedback that complements existing automated checks
- Assess laboratory interoperability gaps to improve the adoption and use of standard terminology among small, independent laboratories.
Application Due Date: July 16, 2026
Anticipated Award Date: September 26, 2026
Developer Roundtable | July 1, 12-1 PM ET
Upcoming 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.
Register
USCDI+ Quality: Public Feedback Requested on Draft V2 Data Element
ONC released the draft USCDI+ Quality V2 data element list for public comment. It continues to build upon electronic data reporting needs for quality measures. Comments and additions may be submitted to the USCDI+ platform by 11:59 PM ET on July 17, 2026.
Events
TEFCA RCE Monthly Informational Call
Third Tuesday of each month | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Learn more at The Sequoia Project.
Current Proposed Rules
HTI-5 Proposed Rule
Published December 22, 2025 and entered the Federal Register on December 29, 2025. Comment period closed on February 27, 226. Industry is speculating and anticipating final rule late summer or early fall 2026.
Proposed rule includes deregulatory actions that update the ONC Health IT Certification Program to:
- reduce burden on health IT developers by streamlining ONC’s voluntary Health IT Certification Program by removing redundant requirements
- revise definitions to better promote electronic health information access, exchange, and use so that patients’ access to their data is not blocked
- advance a new foundation of AI-enabled interoperability solutions through modernized standards and certification.
In addition, the proposed rule enables ONC to reset the Certification Program’s regulatory scope and establish a new foundation on which to build Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®)-based API requirements in the future. Collectively, the proposals in the HTI-5 Proposed Rule directly align with President Trump’s goals as outlined in Executive Order (EO) 14192 (Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation) and EO 14267 (Reducing Anti-Competitive Regulatory Barriers).
Resources
HTI-4 Final Rule
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 was 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).