By Steven Posnack, M.S., M.H.S. / Director, Office of Standards and Technology
Twitter: @ONC_HealthIT
On January 10, ONC submitted the recently published 2017 Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA), a catalog of standards and implementation specifications that are or could be used to advance the seamless and secure flow of electronic health information, to the Health IT Policy and Health IT Standards Committees for review and discussion. We are very excited about the new features in this online version of the ISA. While it remains a reliable reference list anyone can use to voluntarily select standards for implementation (as opposed to a mandatory set of detailed requirements), it is no longer a static document. Instead, the ISA is now an interactive online platform that enables near real-time updates, displays public comments on each page in a threaded format to encourage dialogue, and can incorporate citations suggested by users.
Additionally, in response to stakeholder feedback, we added the ability to search and print the ISA completely or by individual pages. ONC will continue to publish an annual “Reference Edition” for those needing a static document to reference in rules, contracts, or for other reasons.
We anticipate that the new approach will increase transparency, encourage more participation among a wider number of stakeholders, and improve the way we deliver updated content.
Now it’s your turn. If you are aware of a new standard or implementation specification not listed in the ISA, please let us know by sharing your comments. If you think of a new interoperability need the ISA should cover or better way to describe an existing need, submit a comment. If you pilot test a standard or implementation specification and discover preconditions or limitations worth communicating industry-wide, make sure to comment. If you spot a whitepaper or journal article relevant to a standard, post the hyperlink (as the ISA can now support citations). We will be here with our subject matter experts, working with you, to make changes to the ISA as they are needed instead of waiting six to twelve months for the next “Reference Edition” publication.
Please visit the new interactive ISA, and tell us how we can continue to make it a better resource for you and your colleagues.
This post was originally published on the Health IT Buzz and is syndicated here with permission.