What’s Happening at the ONC – 4-12-19

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Posted By: Roberta Mullin April 12, 2019

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

21st Century Cures Act Proposed Rule: Updates from ONC
Now Available: an optional public comment template that provides a simple way to organize and present comments on the ONC’s 21st Century Cures Act proposed rule. While use of the template is voluntary, commenters may find it helpful for structuring comments, or to use as an addendum to narrative cover pages.

Comment Today: The proposed rule seeks to support seamless and secure access, exchange, and use of electronic health information. We value all of your feedback as it helps inform the rulemaking process. Comments are due May 3, 2019.

ONC Wants your Feedback on New Test Procedures: The draft test procedures that were developed to accompany the proposed certification criteria in the proposed rule are now available and we want to hear your feedback. Please review by May 6, 2019.

Two New Data Briefs: Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances and Electronic Patient Engagement Capabilities among US Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals
ONC released two new analyses on the use of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) technology among Medicare Part D prescribers and on the adoption and variation of electronic capabilities for patient engagement among hospitals. These, and ONC’s other data briefs, are available on HealthIT.gov.

New Inferno Program Edition-Community Edition Switchboard
ONC deployed a combined Inferno Program Edition-Community Edition switchboard that helps users understand the specific uses of each edition. The Community Edition of Inferno is for general FHIR testing, whereas the Program Edition is tightly bound to testing for the proposed Standardized API for Patient and Population Services, and can be used with the draft (g)(10) Test Procedure.

Check out the Switchboard

Work with Them: Join the Chief Scientist Division
ONC is seeking a healthcare professional specializing in informatics to work in the ONC Immediate Office, Chief Scientist Division (CSD). This individual will apply a comprehensive knowledge of health informatics, science, related fields, and relevant programs to the performance of his/her work. Apply before April 26, 2019 to be considered for this opportunity.

Learn more about the CSD & Apply Today

LEAP in Health IT Funding Available
Earlier this month, ONC published a special emphasis notice (SEN) under the Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health IT funding opportunity to address standardization of patient information for seamless access, exchange, and use.

For more information visit LEAP in Health IT.

Security Risk Assessment Tool Update
An updated version of the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) tool is available that includes bug fixes, enhancements, and a security patch. We encourage those running the previous version to upgrade as soon as possible.

New 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

ONC’s HEART Profiles Webinar & Workshop
Date & Time: April 23, 2019 at 1:30pm ET
Register for this event.

Join ONC for a HEART (Health Relationship Trust) Profiles Webinar and Workshop to learn about the recently updated HEART profiles and participate in a short, technical workshop about the HEART protocols and how they compare and contrast with other efforts. HEART is a set of profiles, created in partnership with the OpenID Foundation, that enables consumers to control how, when, and with whom their clinical data is shared. The HEART model builds on existing state-of-the-art security and adds additional components to ensure that patient clinical data is securely exchanged.

Interoperability Standards Priorities Task Force Meeting
The next Interoperability Standards Priorities Task Force Meeting will be held Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

Health IT Advisory Committee Upcoming Meetings
The next Health IT Advisory Committee meeting will be held April 25, 2019.

Save the Date – Interoperability Forum #3
Join ONC this August for a two-day Interoperability Forum that brings together federal partners, the healthcare industry, and the technology sector. Attendees will learn about recent efforts to advance interoperability nationwide and identify concrete actions that can be taken to respond to today’s interoperability challenges from a mix of keynote speakers, demos, and dedicated tracks.

Date & Time: August 21-22, 2019 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
Location: Renaissance Hotel, 999 Ninth Street NW, Washington DC 20001

Registration information will be sent out in the near future and a webcast option will be available for plenary sessions.

2018 ONC Annual Meeting Presentations are Online Now
Slide presentations from the breakout sessions at the 2018 ONC Annual Meeting are available online. To download the presentations, navigate to the session in the agenda and look for the “Download Slides” link. Additionally, you can view recordings of the mainstage sessions.

Spotlighting Interoperability Proving Ground Programs

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.

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.