[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57276-57277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23311]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 
Technology; HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 
Technology, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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    This notice announces a forthcoming meeting of a workgroup of a 
public advisory committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for 
Health Information Technology (ONC). The meeting will be open to the 
public.
    Name of Committee: Health IT Policy Committee's Governance 
Workgroup.
    General Function of the Health IT Policy Committee: To provide 
recommendations to the National Coordinator on a policy framework for 
the development and adoption of a nationwide health information 
technology infrastructure that permits the electronic exchange and use 
of health information as is consistent with the Federal Health IT 
Strategic Plan and that includes recommendations on the areas in which 
standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria 
are needed. Purpose of the Governance Workgroup: To draft a set of 
recommendations on the scope and process of governance for the 
nationwide health information network, including measures to ensure 
accountability and oversight. The charge to the Governance Workgroup is 
to draft a set of recommendations on the scope and process of 
governance for the nationwide health information network, including 
measures to ensure accountability and oversight.

Date and Time: The meeting will be held on September 28, 2010, from 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Location: Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, 
NW., Washington, DC 20008. For up-to-date information, go to the ONC 
Web site, http://healthit.hhs.gov.

Contact Person:  Judy Sparrow, Office of the National Coordinator, HHS, 
330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20201, 202-205-4528, Fax: 202-690-
6079, e-mail: [email protected]. Please call the contact person for 
up-to-date information on this meeting. A notice in the Federal 
Register about last minute modifications that impact a previously 
announced advisory committee meeting cannot always be published quickly 
enough to provide timely notice.
    Agenda: The Workgroup will hear testimony from invited panelists on 
information on governance of the nationwide health information network. 
ONC intends to make background material available to the public no 
later than two (2) business days prior to the meeting. If ONC is unable 
to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, 
it will be made publicly available at the location of the advisory 
committee meeting, and the background material will be posed on ONC's 
Web site after the meeting, at http://healthit.hhs.gov.
    Procedure: Interested persons may present data, information, or 
views, in writing, on issues identified by the Workgroup. Written 
submissions may be made to the contact person on or before September 
24, 2010. Written comments are limited to 10 pages, and should be 
either mailed to the address above or e-mailed to [email protected], 
with the Subject Line: Responses for Governance Workgroup. The 
questions the Workgroup is interested in are as follows:

Panel 1: Governance Models in Other Domains

    1. Please share your experiences in establishing governance 
requirements to ensure trust in the privacy and security of the 
information exchange, e.g., to secure the data, to assure appropriate 
use of the data exchanged, to address responsibilities for obtaining 
consent, etcetera. Were governance requirements established to ensure a 
certain level of interoperability? What types of governance mechanisms 
and processes were established? What conditions, requirements, and 
processes facilitated the resolution of disputes between parties with 
differing interests?
    2. Please describe whether and how you have included multiple 
stakeholders in governance? To what extent have consumers been engaged?
    3. Please describe the relationship between the private sector 
parties and the government--was authority delegated from the 
government, did the government oversee either the governance process or 
the results of the process, was the government simply participating as 
a member of the group etc.? What changes, if any, would you recommend? 
Because the relationship between the government and the private sector 
may differ in governance mechanisms in technical and policy domains, 
please share your views as to how to determine and establish the most 
appropriate relationship.
    4. In considering the question as to how to determine the most 
appropriate governance mechanism, please address: the costs and 
benefits involved in delegation of authority from the government; the 
need for ensuring some degree of openness in the process of developing 
requirements when authority is delegated; and the most appropriate 
means available for determining compliance and enforcing any 
requirements that have been established through the governance 
mechanism.

Panels 2 and 3: Governance Experience of Implementers of Health 
Information Exchange

1. Please Provide an Introduction to Your Organization

     Describe the stakeholders that are governed by the 
governance process.
     Describe the group that executes the governance process.
     How is the authority of the governing body established 
(contract, law, other)?

2. Trust

     Please share your experiences in governance mechanisms for 
trust--what types of governance mechanisms and processes do you have in 
place (or are needed) to promote trust in the exchange?
     How have you addressed privacy and security obligations 
(e.g., to safeguard information, to assure appropriate use of the data 
exchanged, to address responsibilities for obtaining consent, etc.) 
through governance?
     Please describe how you have included multiple 
stakeholders in governance (e.g., how they were able to engage those 
stakeholders in effective participation? what challenges/enablers to 
engage in effective participation? To what extent have consumers been 
engaged?)
     Please identify issues, if any, that still need to be 
addressed. What types of governance mechanisms are needed to promote 
trust to facilitate exchange?
     What suggestions do you have for ONC for establishing 
governance in this area?

2. Interoperability

     Please share experiences in governance mechanisms for 
interoperability--what that types of governance mechanisms and 
processes do you have in place (or are needed) to promote 
interoperability in the exchange?
     How are expectations for interoperability established and 
assured?
     What suggestions do you have for ONC for establishing 
governance in this area?

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3. Accountability, Enforcement and Oversight

     Please share your experiences in establishing 
accountability, enforcement and oversight with regard to both trust and 
interoperability.
     What suggestions do you have for ONC for establishing 
governance in this area? Examples of specific issues include:
     How should organizations be vetted for participation?
     How should the exchange of information be monitored for 
appropriateness in a large volume/distributed environment?
     How should information be provided to a consumer regarding 
who accessed his/her information?
     How should consumer complaints be investigated?
     How should ``bad actors'' be disciplined?

Panel 4: Existing Governance Authorities

    1. Please describe the scope and jurisdiction of your authority/
authorities, with particular reference to areas that are/may be related 
to the exchange of health information over a network.
    2. Please describe how your authorities are implemented.
    3. Please offer suggestions to the Office of the National 
Coordinator for developing, implementing and coordinating governance.
    Persons attending ONC's advisory committee meetings are advised 
that the agency is not responsible for providing access to electrical 
outlets.
    ONC welcomes the attendance of the public at its advisory committee 
meetings. Seating is limited at the location, and ONC will make every 
effort to accommodate persons with physical disabilities or special 
needs. If you require special accommodations due to a disability, 
please contact Judy Sparrow at least seven (7) days in advance of the 
meeting.
    ONC is committed to the orderly conduct of its advisory committee 
meetings. Please visit our Web site at http://healthit.hhs.gov for 
procedures on public conduct during advisory committee meetings.
    Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C., App. 2).

    Dated: September 13, 2010.
Judith Sparrow,
Office of Programs and Coordination, Office of the National Coordinator 
for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2010-23311 Filed 9-17-10; 8:45 am]
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