What’s Happening at the ONC – 3-28-22

TOPICS:

Posted By: Roberta Mullin March 28, 2022

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

Inferno Office Hours for Health IT Developers

The ONC Health IT Certification Program will host a month of Inferno office hours for health IT developers which began on March 18, 2022. The next sessions are 4/1/2022, and 4/8/2022 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET. Health IT developers implementing and certifying to the ONC Certification criterion at 170.315(g)(10) are encouraged to attend.

Find Out More and Register Today.

Register for the 2022 ONC Annual Meeting Spring Sessions!

Registration has just opened and the ONC has released the agenda for the 2022 ONC Annual Meeting events happening on April 13-14! Join them for dynamic and engaging panel sessions and exhibits about health IT and health equity, public health, patient access, and health information exchange.

Learn More & Register for the April Sessions.

Follow the event on Twitter using #ONC2022

Health IT Advisory Committee
Wednesday, 4/13/22, 9:30 am – 11:30 am ET

TEFCA: Register for RCE Stakeholder Sessions
TEFCA is here! ONC and the Sequoia Project, the Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE), recently announced the publication of the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement (TEFCA), marking the beginning of the implementation phase. The RCE and ONC are hosting public advisory forums for community and stakeholder input as TEFCA is implemented. Don’t miss these upcoming webinars!

News and Announcements

New Resource: Attestations Fact Sheet
The ONC Health IT Certification Program has released a new resource to help Certified Health IT Developers understand their responsibilities under the Attestations Condition and Maintenance of Certification requirements as specified in the ONC Cures Act Final Rule.

Reminder: The first 30-day attestation window is set to open April 1, 2022. Please contact your ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) for more information. View the Fact Sheet.

HITAC Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2021
The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) has transmitted the HITAC Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2021 to the HHS Secretary and Congress. Required by the 21st Century Cures Act, this fourth edition of the HITAC annual report describes the HITAC’s progress during fiscal year 2021. The annual report also describes the health IT and health care industries’ progress in advancing the health IT infrastructure in several target areas: use of technologies that support public health, interoperability, privacy and security, and patient access to information. View the Report.

New Tool Announced – Inferno Redesigned: Easier, Faster, Extensible
ONC recently announced the update of the Inferno Framework and the (g)(10) Standardized API Test Kit, the new version of the testing method for the § 170.315(g)(10) certification criterion adopted as part of the ONC Health IT Certification Program. Visit the Health IT Buzz Blog to learn more about this new edition of Inferno. Check Out the Tool.

Deadline Extended – Request for Information (RFI)
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has extended the deadline to March 31, 2022 for a recently released RFI. Calling all social workers, religious organizations, community health centers, telehealth practitioners and peer recovery specialists: the White House OSTP seeks to develop digital health care services that emphasize equity in treatment! Visit the Federal Register to Learn More.

New USCDI v3 and Standards Bulletin Released
The latest Standards Bulletin is here and has everything you need to know about the new Draft USCDI v3, including 20 new data elements and 2 new data classes to advance health IT for improved care, reduced inequities, and stronger public health reporting. ONC is also seeking feedback on which data classes and elements should be included in the final USCDI v3 via the Draft USCDI v3 website. Public feedback accepted until April 30, 2022. ONC plans to release the final USCDI v3 this summer. Read Draft USCDI v3. Read the Standards Bulletin.

SVAP Comment Period Extended until May 2, 2022
The deadline for comments on the Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) timeline has been extended to May 2, 2022. The current SVAP comment period was originally slated to end on September 30, 2021. This timeline will align important standards development activities with the yearly release of new United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) versions. Beginning with the current (2021) SVAP and continuing into future years, ONC will announce annual approved standards for SVAP in June to be effective in August. The June SVAP announcement and August effective date will be supported by a comment period from January to May each year. Comment today.

New Information Sharing FAQ
ONC issued a new Frequently Asked Question (FAQ): In which patient-access cases does the Preventing Harm Exception recognize “substantial harm”? (IB.FAQ42.1.2022FEB) This FAQ includes a table showing the type of harm recognized under the Preventing Harm Exception for different patient access scenarios where the risk of harm has been determined on an individual basis. ONC continues to make resources available to help stakeholders understand information sharing and promote the secure access, exchange, and use of EHI. Review the FAQ.

Cures Act EHR Reporting Program Draft Measures
In the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, Congress mandated the establishment of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Reporting Program as part of new Conditions and Maintenance of Certification requirements under the ONC Health IT Certification Program. The purpose of these developer measures is to address information gaps in the health IT marketplace and provide insights on how certified health IT is being used. For the initial set of measures, ONC is focusing on interoperability, with an emphasis on patient access, clinical and public health information exchange, and standards adoption and conformance measures. Together, these measures will provide stakeholders with a clear picture of our dynamic and evolving health information ecosystem. In December 2021, ONC’s contractors delivered a set of final draft measures for developer reporting to ONC. The measures in the report will be used to inform ONC’s future rulemaking to implement the EHR Reporting Program as a Conditions and Maintenance of Certification requirement for certified health IT products. Review the Final Report and the Draft Measure.

Standards Bulletin Provides Insights into USCDI Version 2
Check out the latest issue of ONC’s Standards Bulletin for insights into the USCDI v2. This edition should help you understand USCDI v2’s new data elements that will help advance health equity with the inclusion of sexual orientation, gender identity, and social determinants of health data elements. Additionally, it describes ONC’s vision for the future expansion of USCDI through Version 3, and how you can engage and make an impact!

Two Virtual Event Recordings Now Available
ONC Health IT Developer Certification & Testing Roundtable. View the recording and slides.
ONC Lantern Workshop. View the recording and slides.

Resources

ONC Health IT Certification Program New Resource Available
The ONC Health IT Certification Program has released a new fact sheet for Real World Testing requirements of the ONC Cures Act Final Rule. The fact sheet describes Real World Testing requirements for Health IT Developers participating in the ONC Health IT Certification Program. This resource will assist the Health IT Developer community in understanding how the requirements outlined in the ONC 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule apply to them and provide a practical overview of the Real World Testing Condition and Maintenance of Certification requirements. View the Fact Sheet.

New Pediatric Resource Available
ONC recently released the Pediatric Health Information Technology: Pediatric Healthcare Provider Informational Resource (Healthcare Provider IR) to support the implementation of health IT products used by clinicians that provide healthcare for children. The Developer and Healthcare Provider IRs identify ONC’s ten recommendations for health IT for pediatric care, relevant certification criteria within the ONC Health IT Certification Program, and other information to support the implementation of health IT products to support the safe and effective healthcare of children. Learn more.

Updates to the SRA Tool
ONC, in partnership with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently released an update to the HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool. This tool provides support for small- and medium-sized health care organizations in their efforts to assess security risks. This enhanced version of the SRA Tool includes a variety of new features like improved navigation throughout the assessment sections, export options for reports, and enhanced user interface scaling. Download SRA Tool.

Tools and Resources for the Health IT Community
To support HHS’s ongoing response efforts to the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), ONC is partnering with the CDC to direct the health IT community and healthcare providers to various resources for reporting and tracking of coronavirus disease or COVID-19. Visit HealthIT.gov for more.

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:

Spotlighting Interoperability Proving Ground Programs

The Interoperability Proving Ground (IPG) is an open, community platform where you can share, learn, and be inspired by interoperability projects taking place across the nation. ONC is asking those working on COVID-19 interoperability projects to share your project on the IPG and tag it with #COVID-19. We’re reviewing every entry to identify opportunities for connection and collaboration among the community on these critical efforts.

The Interoperability Proving Ground (IPG) Spotlight project of the week is: Argonaut Phase 2 Implementation & Testing – Developing a Web Based Client – This is a personal project to test the FHIR and Security standards, that are currently being tested as part of the Argonaut Phase 2 Implementation & Testing Project. The project is currently developing a web based client that connects securely (via SMART OAuth2 profiles) to various FHIR servers that are being deployed by participants of the Argonaut project. Once the Argonaut phase 2 implementation is completed, the application will be deployed on the internet.

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.