What’s Happening at the ONC – 1-21-20

TOPICS:

Posted By: Roberta Mullin January 21, 2020

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.

News

ONC Annual Meeting 
What: #ONC2020 Annual Meeting – Connecting Policy and Technology: Brining the EHR to the Patient
When: January 27-28, 2020
Where: JW Marriott; Washington, DC

GAO Makes New Appointments to Health Information Technology Advisory Committee
Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) (@USGAO), announced three new appointments and four reappointments to the Health Information Technology (HIT) Advisory Committee. Alexis Snyder is being appointed to complete the remaining term for a vacancy on the committee and will serve for one year. The other newly-appointed members—James Pantelas and Abby Sears—are being appointed for three-year terms. All members may be reappointed for an additional three-year term. Current committee members being reappointed to a final second term are John Kansky, Brett Oliver, Raj Ratwani, and Denise Webb.

The National Library of Medicine wants your input!
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) issued a Request for Information (RFI) about ClinicalTrials.gov. NLM has launched an effort to modernize ClinicalTrials.gov to deliver an improved user experience on an updated platform that will accommodate growth and enhance efficiency. The RFI closes on March 14, 2020, and more information can be found on the NIH website. Check out The NLM Director’s blog for additional background.

ONC is Hiring!
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is seeking several Public Health Analysts and Policy Analysts to join their team.

  • Public Health Analysts
    As a public health analyst, you will play an important role in working on key issues around electronic health information exchange and interoperability in the evolving nationwide health information ecosystem. This opportunity is open for status candidates. The deadline to apply is January 21, 2020. Apply (status candidates).
  • Policy Analysts
    As a policy analyst, you will play an important role in policy development regarding electronic health information exchange and interoperability in the evolving nationwide health information ecosystem. This opportunity is open for status candidates. The deadline to apply is January 21, 2020. Apply (status candidates).

National Cancer Institute is Hiring
The National Cancer Institute’s Behavioral Research Program (BRP) has a Program Director (Health Scientist Administrator) position open related to health communication and informatics research. Researchers with expertise in connected health, mHealth, health IT, telehealth, and digital health are welcome to apply for the position, which is further described here. ONC works closely with NCI on the measurement of access and use of online medical records.

ONC Has the Data
Close to 50 original data briefs that provide information about current topics in health IT are available on HealthIT.gov. These reports summarize national-level data analyses, providing readers with easy to understand graphics, key takeaways, and policy discussions. Check out ONC’s Data Briefs.

Security Risk Assessment Tool Update
What is the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool? The SRA Tool is designed to help healthcare providers conduct a security risk assessment as required by the HIPAA Security Rule and CMS EHR Incentive program.

Health IT Advisory Committee Task Forces
The Health IT Advisory Committee (HITAC) launched four task forces to review and provide recommendations on ONC’s proposed rule. The task forces include: Information Blocking, Conditions and Maintenance of Certification Requirements, Health IT for the Care Continuum and U.S. Core Data for Interoperability. The task forces are expected to conduct reviews and provide recommendations over the next two months. Follow the Task Forces

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:

Events

Health IT Advisory Committee Meeting
The next Health IT Advisory Committee Meeting will be held Wednesday, February 19, 2020.

Spotlighting Interoperability Proving Ground Programs

The Interoperability Proving Ground (IPG) Spotlight project of the week is: Increasing Early Detection of Youth Behavioral Risk, Improving Care Delivery and Addressing Suicide in Primary Care Settings – High-profile catastrophes and humbling prevalence of suicides have prompted widespread national acknowledgement of the disturbing scope of the suicide epidemic. National, federal and professional representatives mobilized to take action by funding the development of a long-term, collaborative tragedy prevention strategy. In 2008, the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Youth Suicide Prevention in Primary Care program was established and awarded by the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Agency (SAMHSA) to screen and address comprehensive behavioral risks, inclusive of suicide, in primary-care venues amongst youth ages 14-24.

Learn how your interoperability project can be featured as an IPG Spotlight by visiting the Interoperability Proving Ground (IPG). Once a project is submitted or updated, projects will automatically be added to the feature queue to be randomly selected as a featured project.

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.