ASTP has taken your valuable feedback and we are proud to unveil the newly redesigned Standards Implementation & Testing Environment (SITE)—your all-in-one testing hub for the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program). The updated SITE platform offers a more seamless and efficient user experience, empowering users to take full advantage of the system’s tools and resources. Whether you are validating certain interoperability capabilities or testing against certification criteria, SITE’s improvements will streamline your work and improve productivity.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP), released the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement^TM (TEFCA^TM) (HTI-2) final rule. 

The “T” in Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™) is an important part of what drives our work. That’s why we’ve recently released a new standard operating procedure (SOP) to guide how organizations seeking to participate in specific “Exchange Purposes” within TEFCA are vetted.

eHealth Exchange said that by designating it as its QHIN, the Indian Health Service is now exchanging health data under TEFCA. While most federal health agencies are evaluating their TEFCA strategies, IHS, an agency within HHS, is the first that delivers or pays for healthcare to go live with its data modernization efforts, according to eHealth Exchange. "I’ve been working with other federal agencies to stress the importance and value of participating in TEFCA – for them, and more importantly, for the American people," Dr. Micky Tripathi, assistant secretary for technology policy, national coordinator for health information technology and acting chief AI officer at HHS, said in the network's announcement last week. "IHS is showing leadership in its decision to join TEFCA," Tripathi added.

Steven Posnack, principal deputy assistant secretary for technology policy at HHS, shared with GovCon Wire that his office has been razor-focused in 2024 on executing on the promises of the Cures Act. . .As principal deputy ASTP, Posnack has the national and international duties of coordinating policies, managing regulations and serving as an ambassador to the private sector. On the latter note, he previewed what he’ll be discussing when he kicks off the Healthcare Summit. “I’m looking forward to sharing more specifics about ASTP’s work, including key initiatives like the information blocking regulations, the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), and transparency requirements for AI used in certified health IT,” Posnack said.