Aug 13 -- The Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), invites public comments to OMB by September 16, 2024 regarding the proposed new National Survey of Health Information Exchange Organizations (HIO). [Comments due 30 days after submission to OMB on August 15.]
The Department of Health and Human Services, The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Electronic health information exchange (HIE) was one of three goals specified by Congress in the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to ensure that the $30 billion federal investment in certified electronic health records (EHRs) resulted in higher-quality, lower-cost care. Subsequent legislation and regulations have continued to prioritize the sharing of data electronically across EHRs and other health information systems. Health information exchange organizations (HIOs) play a pivotal role facilitating health information exchange across disparate providers, labs, pharmacies, public health departments, and others. This information collection request will gather data from HIOs across the nation through the administration of a survey of HIOs to generate the most current national statistics and associated actionable insights to inform policy efforts. The timely collection of national data from our survey will assess current capabilities of HIOs to support effective electronic information sharing within the U.S. health care system.
Since prior to HITECH there has been ongoing assessment of trends in the capabilities of HIOs to support clinical exchange through nationwide surveys of HIOs. These prior surveys and studies have collected data on organizational structure, financial viability, geographic coverage, scope of services, scope of participants, perceptions of information blocking, support for public health exchange, and participation in national networks and the Technical Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). Continuing the ongoing data collection will be useful to construct a current and comprehensive picture of HIOs' role in facilitating exchange and ensuring rapid access to important health care data and information when it matters most, including vital data to address public health emergencies.
The survey will collect data on HIO capabilities to support electronic health information exchange, their maturity, and challenges they face. There are five key areas that require assessment: (1) adoption of technical standards; (2) perceptions related to information blocking; (3) HIE coordination at the federal level; (4) public health data exchange; and (5) organizational demographics, including technical capabilities offered by HIOs and the challenges they face in supporting electronic health information exchange.
HIE Basics
https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/health-information-exchange
HHS submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202408-0955-001 Click on IC List for questionnaire, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-18023
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806