Image: Public Domain
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is no longer dually titled with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy as ASTP/ONC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced March 31.
WHY IT MATTERS
In a reversal of a Biden administration reorganization of the IT agencies, HHS published a notice on Tuesday in the Federal Register realigning certain duties under its Office of the Chief Information Officer.
While ONC will continue to operate as a staff division within the HHS Office of the Secretary and the National Coordinator will continue to report directly to the health secretary, HHS said it has shifted the roles, responsibilities and offices of its chief technology officer (CTO), chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO) and chief data officer (CDO) out of it.
According to the announcement, these key leaders will now fall under OCIO to better focus on core functions to deliver platforms and common services that support ONC's policy work and the department's programs:
- The CTO will lead strategic technology leadership and innovation.
- The CAIO will lead "responsible, trustworthy artificial intelligence."
- The CDO will lead enterprise data governance and analytics.
This new organizational update restores a unified, department‑wide technology leadership model by returning enterprise responsibilities to OCIO while ONC's mission remains focused on nationwide health IT interoperability and data liquidity, HHS said in a press statement.
"This structure allows OCIO to provide an integrated backbone for cloud, cybersecurity, data and AI that every HHS component can rely on," said Clark Minor, HHS' CIO and acting CAIO.
"By bringing CTO, CAIO and CDO functions together under one roof, we can move faster on shared platforms, protect our systems more effectively and support ONC and the operating divisions with the technology capabilities they need to innovate for patients," said Minor.
National Coordinator of Health IT Dr. Thomas Keane said with the department-wide alignment, ONC "can focus even more on standards, certification and policy," while it partners with OCIO to ensure a solid infrastructure and cybersecurity foundation for the healthcare system.
"Our remit is broad: making sure technology serves patients, providers and other stakeholders with data and services that are secure, immediately accessible and accurate," he said in the department's announcement about the changes.
THE LARGER TREND
HHS had previously relocated the 405(d) Program coordinating health sector and government cybersecurity to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and said specific cybersecurity functions will remain shifted outside of OCIO as part of its realignment.
With the creation of ASTP/ONC two years ago, the office took on a broader portfolio of responsibilities, with the ONC director also becoming the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy.
That reorganization also reinstituted the lapsed role of CTO to oversee department-level and cross-agency technology, data and AI strategy and policy. The following year, just before the Trump administration took over federal leadership, HHS announced picks for CTO, CDO and CAIO.
Alicia Rouault, who previously served in the White House's United States Digital Service, was tapped as ASTP's associate deputy assistant secretary for technology policy and CTO and served briefly while CAIO Dr. Meghan Dierks, former chief data officer at Komodo Health, departed her role in May.
Kristen Honey, who previously served as the chief data scientist in the Office of Science and Medicine, still serves as CDO.
ON THE RECORD
"With this alignment, OCIO is squarely focused on delivering enterprise services that are resilient, compliant and ready for the next generation of digital health," said Minor in a department statement. "Our close partnership with ONC means that as policies and standards evolve, the department's technology infrastructure will be ready to implement them at scale in a secure and cost-effective way."
"ONC and OCIO are now tightly coordinated in how we set policy, build infrastructure and deploy AI and data capabilities," added Keane. "Together, we will drive toward true data liquidity across the health system so that the right information is available to the right person at the right time – improving outcomes and lowering costs for the American people."
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
