The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has been renamed and restructured, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this morning. The restructuring will affect technology, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence strategy and policy functions.
The agency will be renamed the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC).
Head of ONC, Micky Tripathi, will hold the new title of assistant secretary for technology policy in addition to his title of national coordinator for health IT.
"In addition to our ongoing work in health IT, we will now lead HHS technology and data policy and strategy to help ensure that our complex and multi-faceted department continues to be more than the sum of its parts," Tripathi wrote in a blog post published on Thursday.
Under ASTP, there will be an Office of Policy, an Office of Technology, an Office of Standards, Certification and Analysis and an Office of the Chief Operating Officer.
The offices will carry out the implementation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the 21st Century Cures Act as well as interoperability efforts spearheaded by ONC and health information technology initiatives.
The Office of the National Coordinator will be expanded to establish an Office of the Chief Technology Officer which will include a chief AI officer, a chief data officer and a new Office of Digital Services. A press release says the positions will oversee HHS-wide data governance, technology and cybersecurity.
The announcement follows a call for senior technology, cybersecurity and AI executives to fill open positions at HHS, which ONC employees announced on LinkedIn last week. ONC will hold a webinar on the open positions on Aug. 1.
The release says ASTP/ONC will have “increased responsibilities.” It will pull together responsibilities from various agencies including Assistant Secretary for Administration (ASA), and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). ASA formerly held responsibility for oversight of technology, data and AI policy and strategy, the press release says.
“Cybersecurity, data, and artificial intelligence are some of the most pressing issues facing the health care space today. As a Department, HHS must be agile, accountable, and strategic to meet the needs of this moment,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. “For decades, HHS has worked across the organization to ensure appropriate and safe use of technology, data, and AI to advance the health and well-being of the American people. This reorganization builds on that success and prepares the Department for the challenges that lie ahead.”