The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology recently released the 2024 – 2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan draft, outlining the agency’s health IT strategy over the next several years. The plan includes a greater focus on artificial intelligence, public health, and health equity. In releasing the draft plan, ONC is seeking public comment no later than May 28, 2024.
The 2024-2030 Plan attempts to build on the 2020-2025 Plan that emphasized a more modern health IT infrastructure and improved the access, exchange, and use of electronic health information. In the 2024-2030 Plan, ONC and more than 25 federal organizations addressed certain considerations and challenges to ensure the Plan remains relevant and effective in a constantly-evolving landscape. For example, the draft Plan identifies technological gaps and opportunities to modernize public health data systems, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With respect to disparities in access to health care and health outcomes, the Plan seeks to promote equitable access to electronic health information and communications technology, fair representation in research, and ensure that equity is built into health IT. With respect to artificial intelligence, the Plan recognizes the increased use of AI in health care and emphasizes the need for the federal government to navigate the use responsibly and effectively.
Goals and Objectives
The Plan is meant to serve as a roadmap for federal health IT initiatives and activities and focuses on outcomes and goals, which are divided into the following categories: (1) promote health and wellness; (2) enhance the delivery and experience of care; (3) accelerate research and innovation; and (4) connect the health system with health data.
To promote health and wellness, the Plan will focus on the following objectives: empower individuals to manage their health; allow individuals and populations to experience modern and equitable health care; and make communities healthier and safer. To enhance the delivery and experience of care, the Plan will focus on: providers delivering safe, equitable, high-quality, and improved care; patients will experience expanded access to care and reduced or eliminated health disparities; health care will be improved through greater competition and transparency; providers will have a reduced regulatory and administrative burden; and health care employees will be able to use health IT with confidence.
To accelerate research and innovation, the Plan will focus on allowing researchers and other health IT users to have appropriate access to health data to improve individual and population health and helping researchers to advance health equity by using health data that includes underrepresented groups. To connect the health system with health data, the Plan will focus on the development and use of health IT capabilities advances; clear and shared expectations for data sharing among health IT users; providing access to infrastructure that supports health IT use for underserved communities and populations; protecting individual electronic health information; and modernizing and integrating public health data systems and infrastructure in the United States.
Submitting Feedback
To submit feedback on the Draft Plan, click here. Feedback must be provided no later than May 28, 2024.