Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

During Senate Hearing, ONC, CMS Leaders Report on Progress Implementing HIT Provisions in Cures Act

Healthcare Informatics: During a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing Tuesday, Senate leaders pressed officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the progress being made to implement the health IT provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law December 2016.

The law, considered to be landmark healthcare legislation, largely focuses on medical research and changing the approval process for new drugs and medical devices but also includes a number of health IT provisions aimed at improving interoperability and electronic health information exchange, as well as reducing the burden on providers using electronic health records (EHRs).

Leaders from three agencies within HHS—the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), all of which are involved with implementing health IT provisions in the Cures Act—testified during the hearing.

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