On Monday, May 2, ASCO submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) regarding the proposed Enhanced Oversight of the ONC Health Information Technology (HIT) Certification Program rule.
The rule would increase ONC oversight of certified health IT, define a process for addressing nonconformities in certified health IT, and increase public reporting of surveillance activities.
ASCO is encouraged by ONC’s efforts to provide strengthened oversight of certified health IT and to increase transparency in its reporting.
The letter offered recommendations in the following areas to ONC:
- Prohibition on reduction of scope for previously certified HIT
- Customer notification of suspensions and terminations
- Prohibition on further certification of any HIT for developers
under a program ban - The use of “milestones” to accelerate lifting of developer prohibitions
- Impact of HIT/electronic health record certification termination on providers
- Increased reporting and transparency of surveillance results
In the letter, ASCO strongly recommends that ONC coordinate with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before finalizing the rule to ensure sufficient protection for providers, especially in the context of health IT certification suspension or termination.
Read the full comment letter at this link. ■
© 2016. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
