Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health staff have worked tirelessly to make sense of the extraordinary volumes of data coming at them at different times and in different ways. Because much of this information is unstructured or non-standardized, epidemiologists, scientists, and others must first bring these data into alignment before the real work can begin. The more differences there are in the data, the more painstaking the is work for people on the frontlines trying to put the pieces together fast.

The post ONC and CDC Working Together to Strengthen Public Health Systems, Tools, and Practices that Keep Us Safe appeared first on Health IT Buzz.

As our nation transitions to a digital healthcare system, our stakeholders are discovering new opportunities for using health information technology to advance health care delivery, public health, and research to improve people’s lives. The federal government is no exception in this regard; agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are beginning to leverage the data and capabilities available through electronic health records for a broad range of federal activities and programs, including product safety and surveillance,

The post E Pluribus Unum appeared first on Health IT Buzz.

The Cures Act Final Rule includes regulatory requirements to implement secure, standards-based application programming interfaces (APIs). To support the acceleration of API adoption in health care, ONC has published a series of perspective reports that focus on key stakeholders and their views on APIs.
Accelerating APIs for Scientific Discovery: Provider Perspectives Brief  [PDF – 740 KB] is now available. This fourth and final report explored provider perspectives on API-based data sharing in a rapidly evolving electronic health data ecosystem.

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It’s that time of year again! The annual comment period for the Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) will be open from July 28 – September 30. This is an opportunity for you to provide comments, suggest revisions, and propose additions to the ISA before we publish the 9th Annual ISA Reference Edition in January 2023. Of course, you are welcome to provide comments on the ISA at any time during the year, but please submit your comments by September 30th if you would like your suggestions to be considered as part of the 2023 ISA Reference Edition!

The post Time to Chime In: ISA Comment Period Is Now Open appeared first on Health IT Buzz.

In January 2022, ONC issued a Request for Information (RFI) that sought public input on the ONC Health IT Certification Program and how it could incorporate standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria related to electronic prior authorization. Shortly thereafter, ONC charged the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) with providing input and recommendations in response to this RFI. The Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA) RFI Task Force of the HITAC led consideration of the charge and developed a report and recommendations that were recently approved by the full HITAC.

The post 13 Areas to Improve Electronic Prior Authorization appeared first on Health IT Buzz.

On January 18, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the TEFCA Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE), The Sequoia Project, released the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). The next key step for TEFCA is the release of resources to advance its operationalization, such as standard operating procedures (SOPs). These SOPs will include specific policies and procedures to further guide QHINs and will identify, where applicable, necessary technical implementation requirements.

The post Marching Forward: The Path to Operationalize TEFCA appeared first on Health IT Buzz.