Health information technology standards are used in the health care industry to facilitate the capture and exchange of information.1 Health information exchange organizations (HIOs) are state and regional networks that enable electronic exchange of health information across their participants, which may include health care providers, public health agencies, payers, and other health care entities. 

Our country has made tremendous strides and invested billions of private and public dollars in establishing the digital future of the health care system. We are thus highly concerned about ongoing and recent reports that we have received about potential violations of both the letter and spirit of the various laws and regulations now in place to ensure information-sharing to improve our health care system and enhance the lives of all Americans. In this blog post we describe some of the issues that have been brought to our attention and the steps that we are taking to address them.

ASTP launched the Strengthening the Technical Advancement and Readiness of Public Health via Health Information Exchange (STAR HIE Program) in 2020. The program expanded in 2021 to increase support for efforts to improve vaccination data sharing between jurisdictional immunization information systems (IIS) and HIEs. CyncHealth in Omaha, Nebraska, was among the 22 recipients that received a combined $5 million in funds from ASTP via the CARES Act.

The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has published its final 2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategy, which seeks to enhance care delivery and experiences for patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, public health professionals and others in the healthcare continuum. By focusing on person-centered, inclusive design as the first of its federal health information technology principles, ASTP says the plan seeks to "strengthen individual's ability to securely access and use their own health information to take greater control over their own health." 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (hereafter ASTP), today published the final 2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan - PDF