CHIME Asks ONC to Rethink NwHIN

CHIME submitted comments this week to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, responding to the agency’s vision for nationwide health information exchange.  ONC officials in May released a Request for Information (RFI) that sought feedback on how to establish a governance mechanism for the nationwide health information network (NwHIN).  The RFI asked over sixty questions, across a range of issues, on the creation of a voluntary program under which entities that facilitate electronic health information exchange could be validated with respect to their conformance to certain ONC-established “conditions for trusted exchange,” or CTEs. 

Although CHIME acknowledged the complexity of establishing a nationwide governance model, the organization said it had several outstanding concerns that need to be addressed before moving forward with the regulatory process.  In over-arching comments, submitted with responses to most of the 66 individual questions, CHIME said, “NwHIN governance is being unduly rushed,” and that ONC should “consider other mechanisms for facilitating a dialogue regarding these matters, such as a ‘Town Hall’ meeting.” ...