A federal advisory committee focused on advancing health information technology is set to resume meetings next month after a hiatus of more than a year, Politico reported Jan. 21.
Here are seven things to know:
- The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee, which advises the Department of Health and Human Services on policies governing the sharing of health data, will reconvene Feb. 19.
- The committee’s meetings were halted early last year amid major changes at HHS during the Trump administration. The reason for the pause has not been publicly explained, and an HHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to Politico‘s request for comment.
- The committee advises the assistant secretary for technology policy and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on regulations and guidance related to health data exchange.
- The panel will restart its work without its leadership. Both co-chairs, Sarah DeSilvey and Medell Briggs, MD, resigned earlier this month, according to an email reviewed by Politico. In a Jan. 6 message to committee members, Ms. DeSilvey and Dr. Briggs said they remain committed to supporting the committee’s mission of advancing policies and standards to improve health nationwide, Politico reported.
- The restart comes as the Trump administration prioritizes expanding patients’ ability to electronically access their medical records. The White House and HHS have reached agreements with hundreds of health systems, insurers and technology companies aimed at improving access to health information, according to Politico.
- The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology last year eliminated more than half of the certification requirements for electronic health record vendors—a move aligned with the administration’s broader efforts to reduce regulations. The agency is also encouraging greater adoption of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, a widely used standard for exchanging health data.
- An upcoming agenda item for the advisory committee may focus on preventing fraud within health data networks.
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