Top News
NIH's Public Access Plan Available for Comment
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Plan to Enhance Public Access to the Results of NIH-Supported Research provides a roadmap for how NIH will enhance access to research products (namely scholarly publications) and scientific data, as well as ensure these research products are useful and accessible to the public. Comments will be accepted until April 24. Learn more about the plan.
Administration
Use of Data to Improve Health Equity and Care Delivery
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) is hosting a webinar in recognition of its recently released white paper, The Path Forward: Improving Data to Advance Health Equity Solutions, on March 7, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will focus on the current state of health equity data collection, including progress to date and the actions being taken to improve health equity data collection across CMS and beyond. Register now.
Relatedly, the ONC recently released an information brief for developers, health IT specialists, providers, and health system staff interested in leveraging clinical decision support to support the integration of social determinants of health data into care delivery per clinical guideline recommendations. View the brief.
ONC also has released a SDOH Information Exchange Toolkit focused on identifying the Foundational Elements that can support successful and sustainable implementation of SDOH information exchange. The toolkit is designed as a practical guide for organizations seeking to consider SDOH data in their collaborative assessment, design, implementation, and governance of health IT systems. Access the toolkit.
ONC Releases Draft USCDI Version 4
The Draft United States Core Data for Interoperability, Version 4 (Draft USCDI v4) was released in mid-January. With the publication of Draft USCDI v4, ONC proposes to add 20 data elements across one new data class (Facility Information) and eight existing data classes. The USCDI is an annually updated standardized set of health data classes and data elements developed and adopted by ONC to serve as a baseline for health information exchange and inform interoperable health IT implementation. Review Draft USCDIv4 and submit comments. Comments are due by April 17.
Federal Register Notice: Initial Proposals for Updating OMB's Race and Ethnicity Statistical Standards
The Office of the Chief Statistician seeks input on suggested revisions to OMB's statistical standards for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data across Federal agencies (Statistical Policy Directive (SPD) No. 15). The stated goals of SPD 15 are to ensure the comparability of race and ethnicity across Federal datasets and to maximize the quality of that data by ensuring that the format, language, and procedures for collecting the data are consistent and based on rigorous evidence. Learn more and submit comments. Comments due by April 12.
Legislation and Politics
Additional Senate Committee Positions Announced
Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies:
The following Senators will serve on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee in the 118th Congress: Senators Baldwin (chair), Murray, Durbin, Reed, Shaheen, Merkley, Schatz, Murphy, Manchin; Capito (ranking member), Graham, Moran, Kennedy, Hyde-Smith, Boozman, Britt, and Rubio.
Around the Web
- HIPAA complaints, breaches increased from 2017 to 2021 as HHS urges more funding; Healthcare Dive
- 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care; Pew Reseach Center
- 4 Ways States Can Advance Telehealth Policy to Support Care Access; mHealth Intelligence
AMIA's Washington Download is your source for health informatics policy news and information from around the Beltway, covering action from the Hill, the Administration and important AMIA collaborators.