AMIA Public Comments

Partnering with AHIMA, AMIA recommended that policymakers modernize HIPAA by either establishing a new term, “Health Data Set,” which includes all clinical, biomedical, and claims data maintained by a Covered Entity or Business Associate, or by revising the existing HIPAA “Designated Record Set” definition and require Certified Health IT to […]

In response to a Request for Comment from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AMIA urged the administration to seek harmonization of federal data privacy policies, while also ensuring that consumer access to and control over his or her data be the baseline for its policies.

AMIA strongly encouraged the Trump administration to leverage an existing strategy on Artificial Intelligence Research and Development (AI R&D), rather than begin from scratch. It additionally emphasized a need for federal investments in areas of strong societal importance not aimed at consumer markets, especially related to human-AI collaboration and the […]

In comments submitted to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), the AMIA questioned the constrained scope of the EHR Reporting Program, strongly recommending that it measure performance to improve CEHRT security, interoperability, and usability, and not be used simply to provide data for “acquisition decision makers.”

In response to the CMS CY2019 Physician Fee Schedule NPRM, AMIA applauded federal officials for aligning physician and hospital EHR requirements and advancing policies that further incentivize the adoption of health IT for patient care. AMIA also supported CMS efforts to reduce documentation burden through new options to use time […]

AMIA sent a set of recommendations to the federal government in late July, commenting on its Draft Federal Data Strategy. The nation’s health informatics professionals largely supported the Strategy, identifying ways it could help federal agencies improve data sharing and data availability for research and other supplemental purposes.

The following statement was released today by Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, PhD, FACP, FACMI, regarding a letter to ONC about information blocking:

Information blocking is the absence of interoperability, and there are numerous reasons why information may not flow as intended. Some of these reasons are technical, others for business […]

In response to an HHS request for information on the creation of a new Healthcare Sector Innovation and Investment Workgroup, AMIA strongly recommended the inclusion of representatives of the health informatics community. Additionally, AMIA called for HHS to orient the Workgroup towards innovating and investing in areas that are strategically […]

AMIA responded to an FDA request for input with a preliminary review of relevant research into the specific benefits and risks to health associated with software functions that the 21st Century Cures Act excluded from the definition of medical device. While some health IT applications to healthcare delivery have unambiguously […]

In comments submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) applauded federal officials for balancing burden reduction provisions with a need to continue making progress on health IT adoption and use.