The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in collaboration with over 35 federal partners, today released the updated Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020.
The Plan represents the collective strategy of federal offices that use or influence the use of health information technology. The Plan’s work aims to improve the health IT infrastructure, help transform health care delivery, and improve individual and community health. The Plan sets a blueprint for the federal partners to implement strategies that will support the nation’s continued development of a responsive and secure health IT and information use infrastructure.
“Health IT only achieves its full potential when it seamlessly supports individuals as they strive to take control of their own health,” says National Coordinator for Health IT Karen B. DeSalvo, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc. “Implementing the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan over the next five years drives toward a public-private partnership to achieve interoperability and will help the nation achieve important health outcomes, while remaining flexible to the evolving nature of health care and technology.”
The Plan reflects the input from more than 400 public comments, collaboration between federal contributors, and recommendations from the Health IT Policy Committee. ONC leadership also heard from individuals, providers, community organizations, and entrepreneurs from across the United States during listening sessions held in 2014.
The strategic goals of the Plan are to:
- Advance person-centered health and self-management;
- Transform health care delivery and community health;
- Foster research, scientific knowledge and innovation; and
- Enhance the United States health IT infrastructure.
Over the next five years, the Plan’s federal partners will assess their individual and collective progress on efforts to use health IT to achieve Plan goals, including progress on the HHS Delivery System Reform initiative. Successful Plan implementation will lead to better individual, community and population health, and will foster research, expand scientific knowledge, and spur innovation.
The Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020 can be found at http://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/health-it-strategic-planning.
