26 May 2009

[Federal Register: May 26, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 99)]
[Notices]               
[Page 24854-24855]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26my09-71]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 
HIT Standards Committee Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy 
Committee Recommendations

AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 
Technology (ONC), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Section 3003(b)(3) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act of 2009 mandates that the HIT Standards Committee develop a 
schedule for the assessment of policy recommendations developed by the 
HIT Policy Committee and publish it in the Federal Register. This 
notice fulfills the requirements of Section 3003(b)(3) and shall be 
updated at least annually.
    In anticipation of receiving recommendations originally developed 
by the HIT Policy Committee, the Standards Committee has created three 
(3) workgroups or subcommittees to analyze the areas of clinical 
quality, clinical operations, and privacy and security.
    HIT Standards Committee Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy 
Committee Recommendations:

[[Page 24855]]

    The National Coordinator will establish priority areas based in 
part of recommendations received from the HIT Policy Committee 
regarding health information technology standards, implementation 
specifications, and/or certification criteria. Once the HIT Standards 
Committee is informed of those priority areas, it will:
    (A) Direct the appropriate subcommittee to develop a report for the 
HIT Standards Committee, to the extent possible, within 90 days, which 
will include among other items the following:
    (1) An assessment of what standards, implementation specifications, 
and certification criteria are currently available to meet the priority 
area;
    (2) an assessment of where gaps exist (i.e., no standard is 
available or harmonization is required because more than one standard 
exists) and identify potential organizations that have the capability 
to address those gaps; and
    (3) a timeline, which will also account for NIST testing where 
appropriate, for the HIT Standards Committee to issue recommendation(s) 
to the National Coordinator.
    (B) Upon receipt of a subcommittee report, the HIT Standards 
Committee will:
    (1) accept the timeline provided by the subcommittee, and if 
necessary, revise it; and
    (2) assign subcommittee(s) to conduct research and solicit 
testimony, where appropriate, and issue recommendations to the full 
committee, in a timely manner.
    (C) Advise the National Coordinator, consistent with the accepted 
timeline in (B)(1) and after NIST testing, where appropriate, on 
standards, implementation specifications, and/or certification 
criteria, for the National Coordinator's review and possible 
endorsement to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: ONC/HHS, Judith Sparrow, (202) 205-
4528.

    Authority:  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
(Pub. L. 111-5), section 3003.

    Dated: May 18, 2009.
David Blumenthal,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Office of the 
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. E9-12175 Filed 5-20-09; 4:15 pm]

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