Last week, the Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) published its final 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, which outlines federal health information technology goals and objectives, with a focus on individuals’ access to their electronic health information.

The plan was developed by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in collaboration with more than 25 federal organizations and informed by nearly 100 public comments.

“The new federal health IT strategic plan continues the momentum created by the 21st Century Cures Act and reflects the federal government’s commitment to making patients’ electronic health information accessible on their smartphones,” said Don Rucker, M.D, national coordinator for health IT, in this press release.  “Thank you to everyone who commented on the draft plan, your input helped us shape a final version that lays out coordinated actions across the federal government.”

According to EHR Intelligence, the four main goals that make up the plan include promoting health and wellness, enhancing care delivery and experiences, building a secure and data-driven ecosystem to accelerate research and innovation, and boosting healthcare interoperability.

When it comes to interoperability, the plan highlights how the federal government and the private sector have increased their focus on improving interoperability. It also discussed how programs like Promoting Interoperability focus on a subset of the healthcare community, but the federal government also recognizes the need for investment in and adoption of interoperable health IT by researchers and providers in all care settings.

The interoperability section of the plan offers a final summary of how, while much progress has been made, the ongoing process of improving interoperability will demand continued investigation and advancements in the ways health IT systems interact, and how they access, exchange, and use data.

RosettaHealth has a long history of offering improved connectivity and efficiency in health data exchange.

RosettaHealth can assist with any health information challenges you might have, book a free consultation with one of our interoperability experts.