ONC Archives - HIT Leaders and News

Enforcement Delays Signal Deeper Fragility in Federal Health IT Oversight

Jason Free — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:36:27 +0000

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP), announced temporary enforcement discretion for certain compliance and attestation deadlines within the ONC Health IT Certification Program. While positioned as a procedural adjustment due to a lapse in federal appropriations, the decision reveals a deeper structural concern: the fragility of public-sector infrastructure that underpins regulatory accountability in health IT.

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New Federal Rules Reshape the Clinical and Operational Realities of Real-Time Cost Data

Jason Free — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:07:45 +0000

For decades, price transparency at the point of care has been a policy aspiration more than an operational reality. But new regulatory changes finalized by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mark a shift from aspiration to enforceable expectation.

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Why Responsible AI Starts Before the First Algorithm

Jason Free — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 11:45:08 +0000

There is no shortage of AI in healthcare, but there is a shortage of discipline in how it is applied. As health systems accelerate adoption of machine learning tools for documentation, triage, imaging analysis, and patient engagement, many are also encountering the hard ceiling of what happens when innovation outpaces governance.

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Can Deregulation Coexist With Safety and Trust? What EHRA’s Proposals Mean for Providers

Jason Free — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:03:18 +0000

The Association’s recommendations to ONC suggest eliminating or easing numerous certification components — from Real World Testing and AI transparency to interoperability and safety usability checks. While each change is framed as a way to reduce administrative burden, the net result may be a dramatic shift in where, how, and by whom digital safety and reliability are maintained.

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EHR Deregulation or Disruption? Inside EHRA’s Vision for a Leaner Certification Future

Jason Free — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:54:48 +0000

The EHR Association’s recent letter to ONC/ASTP, sent amid a broader deregulatory wave from the Trump administration, outlines an ambitious overhaul of the federal Certification Program for health IT. Framed as a call for "real-world value and feasibility," the recommendations cover everything from simplified testing to the removal of entire certification criteria — and they raise pressing questions about where the line lies between strategic deregulation and systemic risk.

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HIMSS Recommends ONC Ensure True Health Equity by Design

Jason Free — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:02:01 +0000

HIMSS has delivered recommendations to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for how diverse and underserved communities can be more preemptively engaged in the design, development and validation of health IT tools and systems.

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HIMSS Signs Letter Supporting ONC’s Mission to Promote the Adoption of Health IT

Jason Free — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 11:21:52 +0000

President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) proposed budget for the U.S. Health and Hyman Services (HHS) included $86 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), an increase of $17 million above the FY2024 enacted level.

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The Biden-Harris Administration Issues New Rule to Support Reproductive Healthcare Privacy Under HIPAA

Jason Free — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:09:26 +0000

The Biden-Harris Administration, through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a Final Rule, entitled HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy.

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SAMHSA and ONC Launch the Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative

Jason Free — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:02:17 +0000

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will work together to invest more than $20 million of SAMHSA funds over the next three years in an initiative to advance health information technology (IT) in behavioral health care and practice settings.

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New Federal Health IT Strategy Sets Sights on a Heathier, More Innovative, and More Equitable Healthcare Experience

Jason Free — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 13:54:23 +0000

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), released the draft 2024–2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (the draft Plan) for public comment.

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