Health IT cited as evidence for importance of new open government directive

Health IT programs were cited as evidence of potential gains to be made when federal agencies make heir data more accessible, the goal behind an open government memo published Dec. 8 by the Office of Management and Budget.

In unveiling details of its Open Government Directive in an online forum, administration officials said they want agencies to open up their data and operations to the public to make government more effective.  As part of the plan, agencies will have to meet a number of deadlines over the next several months to foster accountability and to increase collaboration with sources outside of government.

Vivek Kundra, the nation’s chief information officer, described the directive as a change in the “default setting of the public sector from that of being secretive, opaque and closed to one that is open, transparent and participatory.”

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has already started adopting some elements of open government through health IT efforts called for under the stimulus law, an accompanying report on the state of agency transparency pointed out.  

It cited ONC’s health IT blog as an example of seeking the public’s participation about how to advance the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs).

The Health IT Standards Committee, a public/private panel that advises the national health IT coordinator, also launched an online forum for six weeks to get the public’s view on strategies that could help overcome the challenges to accelerating EHR deployment.

OMB also highlighted the a programming “code-a-thon” sponsored by HHS in August to bring together public and private open source developers to improve the agency’s “Connect” healthcare Internet gateway project and broaden its use. The software, developed by a group of federal agencies, enables organizations to exchange health data according to standards established for the nationwide health information network (NHIN).

Aneesh Chopra, the administration’s chief technology officer, said that privacy is an important aspect of the administration’s broad technology agenda. The administration has an inter-agency group focused on privacy issues in areas where there are particular concerns, like healthcare.

“The national coordinator for health IT has said we will not succeed in the president’s mission for a more digitized healthcare system if we don’t thoughtfully address the concerns of patient privacy,” he said. “That’s why he is appointing a chief privacy officer.”

That new position was created as part of a  recent reorganization of the ONC  to better prepare it for its role as a leader in the national adoption of EHRs and other health IT.

Chopra said the administration is also working toward formalizing a set of open data standards in critical areas, such as healthcare.

“We want the information accessible with the least friction as possible and to be able to deliver greater user value,” he said, adding that means the data should be downloadable and reusable. He pointed to ONC’s ongoing rulemaking process for health IT standards. “If we get the standards right, we believe that this can be a big engine of economic growth for the country,” Chopra said.

Agency milestones under the new memo include:

-- In 45 days, agencies must make at least three high-value data sets publicly accessible on the administration’s Data.gov Web site. Agencies will also have to designate a senior official to be accountable for data quality.

-- In 60 days, the administration will start a dashboard to hold agencies accountable for meeting the directive’s milestones. Agencies must also create a Web site where their plans and activities will be available.

-- In 120 days, each agency will craft an open government plan that will “hardwire a culture of accountability, transparency and cooperation,” Kundra said.