Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a staff division of the Office of the Secretary, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ONC leads national health IT efforts, charged as the principal federal entity to coordinate nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. President George W. Bush created the position of National Coordinator on April 27, 2004 through . Congress later mandated ONC in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical  Health Act provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, under the Obama Administration. Mission. With the passage of the HITECH Act, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is charged with building an interoperable, private and secure nationwide health information system and supporting the widespread, meaningful use of health information technology. ONC's mission is looking ahead as it begins its second decade in 2014. ONC is working to improve these five areas: The concerted initiative on interoperability in 2014 seeks to achieve the ability of two or more systems to exchange health  information and use the information once it is received. The mission of ONC is to optimize the paths to reach these five health IT goals along with interoperability to support the Triple Aim. Widely adopted by the healthcare sector, the Triple Aim was developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to 1) improve patient experience of care, 2) improve the health of populations, and 3) reduce per capita costs of healthcare. The Federal Health IT Strategic Plan from 2011-2015 had set these five goals In its ongoing work, ONC is looking to address these priorities in 2014: "ONC's  mission had previously been described as" Leadership. The structure of the agency offers insight into its strategic goals, and the agency's continued interest in collaborative, transparent, experienced leadership. Programs. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act seeks to improve American health care delivery and patient care through an unprecedented investment in health information technology. The provisions of the HITECH Act are specifically designed to work together to provide the necessary assistance and technical support to providers, enable coordination and alignment within and among states, establish connectivity to the public health community in case of emergencies , and assure the workforce is properly trained and equipped to be meaningful users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). EHR Incentive Program Payments and Meaningful Use The HITECH Act set meaningful use of interoperable EHR adoption in the health care system as a critical national goal and incentivized EHR adoption. The "goal is not adoption alone but 'meaningful use' of EHRs — that is, their use by providers to achieve significant improvements in care." The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) managed and distributed these federal funds for the meaningful use of electronic health records in conjunction with state Medicaid departments with  the cooperation and support of ONC and ONC programs. As of March 2014, more than $22.5 billion in combined Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program payments have been made since 2011. More than $14.8 billion in Medicare EHR Incentive Program payments have been made between May 2011 and March 2014. More than $7.7 billion in Medicaid EHR Incentive Program payments have been made between January 2011 (when the first set of states launched their programs) and March 2014. More than 470,000 eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals are actively registered in the Medicare and Medicaid  EHR Incentive Programs as of March 2014. According to Modern Healthcare, payments have been made to 90.4% of the 5,011 estimated eligible hospitals; and 69.6% of the estimated 527,200 eligible professionals. ONC Programs The following ONC programs help to build the foundation for every American to benefit from an electronic health record, as part of a modernized, interconnected, and vastly improved system of care delivery. "Note: The list of programs below is in the process of being revised and updated." "*Combined Results of Community College and University-Based Training:" In total the two programs trained 21,437 students from all 50  states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands at 91 academic institutions. Advisory committees. In January 2018, the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) was established as required under the 21st Century Cures Act. https://www.healthit.gov/hitac/committees/health-information-technology-advisory-committee-hitac Term: 2021-current Co-Chair: Aaron Miri Co-Chair: Denise Webb Term: 2018-2020 Co-Chair: Robert Wah Co-Chair: Carolyn Peterson ONC also created two Federal Advisory Committees (FACAs), the Health IT Policy Committee, which the National Coordinator chairs, and the Health IT Standards Committee. Both of these committees were disbanded in 2018 due to new legal requirements within the  21st century cures act. Health IT Policy Committee The Health IT Policy Committee recommends a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that permits the electronic exchange and use of health information. Vice-chair of this committee is Paul Tang, MD, MS, who is Vice President, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Health IT Standards Committee The Health IT Standards Committee recommends to the National Coordinator standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria. The Standards Committee also harmonizes, pilot tests, and ensures consistency with the Social Security Act. Vice-chair  of this committee is John Halamka, MD, MS, who is Chief Information Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Professor at Harvard Medical School, and a practicing Emergency Physician.