When the EHR incentive program's funds run dry, the ONC's role will change, but its direction is uncertain.
The ONC's current role is to issue federal regulations for private sector vendors and providers to meet. But after meaningful use becomes the standard, John Halamka, MD, CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, called for the ONC to strike a balance with the private sector in future regulations.
In his blog titled "Life of a Healthcare CIO," Dr. Halamka pointed to the Argonaut Initiative, headed by Health Level 7 in conjunction with 11 industry leaders including Epic and Cerner, as an example of how the private sector can organize standard initiatives within the industry. The initiative was launched in December 2014 to promote interoperability by accelerating the adoption of HL7's Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, a database of information about how to make medical information systems interoperable. Dr. Halamka noted that the initiative was industry-led and pushed for a similar standard to the ONC's, according to his blog.
However, the federal government does have a role to play in moderating the industry and providing funding for research or development, he wrote.
"By working with other federal agencies to identify best practices, ONC can foster data integrity and promote respect for patient privacy preferences," Dr. Halamka wrote. "Thus, although the private sector can lead innovation and accelerate standards development, the combination of government, industry and academia is needed to optimize our journey."