Dive Brief:
- The HHS on Tuesday reversed a Biden-era reorganization of the department’s technology functions, in an attempt to better integrate artificial intelligence, data and cybersecurity policy across the department.
- The revamp will return the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT back to its original name: Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
- Additionally, the chief technology officer, chief AI officer and chief data officer will move from ONC to the HHS’ Office of the Chief Information Officer.
Dive Insight:
The revamp comes nearly two years after the department under the Biden administration first restructured the HHS’ technology functions.
The reorganization expanded ONC’s responsibilities, changed the health IT regulator’s name and added oversight into technology, data and AI policy. The move aimed to consolidate these functions as technology issues like the growing importance of AI became more pressing for the healthcare sector.
Now, the HHS is reversing the restructuring. The offices of the chief AI, data and technology officers will move to OCIO, reinforcing the office’s “statutory responsibility for enterprise IT, cybersecurity, and data operations,” the HHS said.
The offices will work together to deliver platforms and common services that support the HHS’ programs.
“This structure allows OCIO to provide an integrated backbone for cloud, cybersecurity, data, and AI that every HHS component can rely on,” HHS CIO Clark Minor said in a statement Tuesday. “By bringing [chief technology officer, chief AI officer and chief data officer] functions together under one roof, we can move faster on shared platforms, protect our systems more effectively, and support ONC and the operating divisions with the technology capabilities they need to innovate for patients.”
The HHS said the reorganization will also allow ONC to focus on interoperability and data liquidity, a long-term challenge in the healthcare industry and a top priority for the agency.
National Coordinator Dr. Thomas Keane said this month the ONC is taking steps to sanction IT developers that block the free flow of health data.
The revamp at the HHS comes as the Trump administration has lauded the potential of technology like AI to modernize the healthcare sector.
Overall, the Trump administration has taken a deregulatory approach to the technology, in an attempt to prevent laws that “impose undue burdens” and slow AI deployment, officials say. Late last year, the HHS released a request for information on how the department could speed the adoption of AI in healthcare, including in clinical care.
