DeSalvo Unveils ONC Plans For Health IT Beyond HITECH Act

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is preparing itself for the next era of health IT adoption, one that will not rely primarily on financial incentives for healthcare providers.

In an in email to members of the federal agency, National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, addressed the need for the ONC to pivot and realign itself as the investments from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) come to end.

These funds were responsible for getting the EHR Incentive Programs and the meaningful use of certified EHR technology off the ground and also included funding for the regional extension centers (RECs) and health information exchanges (HIEs) created to support eligible professionals and hospitals in their pursuit of Stage 1 and Stage 2 Meaningful Use...