2021 ONC Annual Meeting

Session

Welcome

Opening Remarks

• Steve Posnack, MS, MHS, Deputy National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Keynote Remarks from the National Coordinator

• Micky Tripathi, PhD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Breakout Sessions I

Efforts to Reduce Clinician Burden: Success, Partial Success, or a Future Not Yet Realized

This panel will feature real-world input from clinicians discussing how the evolving regulatory landscape and advances in technology contribute to clinician burden reduction.

• Andy Gettinger, MD, ONC, Moderator
• Tom Mason, MD, ONC, Moderator
• Peter Basch, MD, MACP, MedStar Health
• Jackie Gerhart, MD, FAAFP, Epic and The University of Wisconsin
• Yaa Kumah-Crystal, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Sarah Collins Rossetti, RN, PhD, FAAN, FAMIA, Columbia University Medical Center

Promoting Equitable Access and Innovations in Artificial Intelligence for Health Care

This session will explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for making use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. Speakers will discuss what it takes to apply AI for real-time clinical decision-making and increases in operational efficiency; the ethical challenges of AI-driven health care; and how AI can be used to fight racial biases in health care or reinforce them. The conversation is sure to be future looking and lay a foundation for the considerations ahead for AI in health care.

• Allison Dennis, PhD, ONC, Moderator
• Adam Wong, MPP, ONC, Moderator
• Yindalon Aphinaynaphongs, MD, PhD, New York University Langone Health
• Sara Gerke, MA, PhD, Harvard Law School
• Ziad Obermeyer, MD, MPhil, Berkeley School of Public Health

Education Session: Understanding ONC’s Draft United States Core for Interoperability v2 and Standards Version Advancement Process

In March 2020, ONC published the first version of the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) and established a predictable, transparent, and collaborative expansion process, allowing health IT stakeholders to submit new data elements and classes for future versions of USCDI. After the first cycle of submissions were evaluated, ONC published the Draft USCDI version 2, which is available for public comment until April 15, 2021. This session will highlight the development of USCDI as a new health IT standard, the process of expanding it with newer versions, and how the Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) flexibility for ONC-Certified Health IT relates to the use of future versions of standards like USCDI.

• Papia Paul, MS, MPA, ONC
• Al Taylor, MD, ONC

Break

Plenary Session: Public Health Data Modernization and Advancements in Health IT During a Pandemic

This panel will explore federal, state, and local initiatives currently underway advancing the use of electronic health information during public health emergencies with an emphasis on defining an ideal future state. Panelists will also discuss the actions their organizations and states are taking to address health equity and will explore how the modernization of data collection and utilization for disease detection, contract tracing, and immunization can help mitigate inequality and improve health outcomes.

• Micky Tripathi, PhD, MPP, ONC, Moderator
• Dan Jernigan, MD, MPH, CDC
• Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS, U.S. COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force
• Norm Oliver, MD, State of Virginia
• Anne Zink, MD, State of Alaska

Breakout Sessions II

Social Determinants of Health Information Exchange: Innovation, Consent, Referrals, and Equity

This session will explore innovative efforts for SDOH information exchange and interoperable referrals, along with considerations for consent and equity. The session will highlight initiatives from 1) CyncHealth, describing the use of HIE to enhance SDOH collaboration in Nebraska 2) San Diego Health Connect, noting relevant take-aways from their 2019 LEAP Project for consent and reducing health disparities 3) Ohio Health Information Partnership, describing their efforts on SDOH referrals 4) Bronx RHIO, discussing community-based health IT efforts to address SDOH and 5) The Gravity Project to provide an update on progress toward SDOH core data for interoperability and standards-based information exchange.

• Brett Andriesen, ONC, Moderator
• Elizabeth Palena Hall, MIS, MBA, RN, ONC, Moderator
• Evelyn Gallego, MBA, MPH, CPHIMS, Gravity Project
• Mohammad Jafari, PhD, San Diego Health Connect
• Kathryn Miller, MS, Bronx RHIO
• Dan Paoletti, Ohio Health Information Partnership
• Melanie Surber, MSN, RN, CyncHealth

Data Tagging and Consent of Sensitive Health Data: Stakeholder Led Efforts and Activities

Data Tagging and consent are important for improving interoperability while protecting privacy and choice. Data tagging can support various use cases including for social determinants of health data (SDOH) use and interoperability. Multidisciplinary, stakeholder led activities are focused on advancing data tagging adoption and use, in part to help eliminate disparities and improve health equity, and to support the interoperability of sensitive health data including, in certain instances, for SDOH. This session will inform attendees of current ONC and external stakeholder activities for moving sensitive health data to support holistic person centered health. Presenters will share progress on different SDOH use cases and the value of data tagging and consent efforts for advancing health equity and addressing health disparities.

• JaWanna Henry, MPH, ONC, Moderator
• Samantha Meklir, MPP, ONC, Moderator
• Elisabeth Myers, MBA, ONC, Moderator
• Hannah Galvin, MD, Protecting Privacy to Promote Interoperability (PP2PI)
• Amber Patel, Security Risk Solutions Inc.
• Chethan Sabaru, MD, PP2PI

Education Session: Unlocking Electronic Health Information: How the Information Blocking Regulations Support Care Delivery

Got questions about what to do on April 5, 2021 and why information sharing is so important? Learn about the information blocking provisions in the Cures Act Final Rule, including exceptions in the law. ONC speakers will focus on what is information blocking, what information needs to be shared, and who is impacted by the law and other requirements to help you prepare for information sharing.

• Elise Sweeney Anthony, JD, ONC
• Michael L. Lipinski, JD, ONC
• Rachel Nelson, JD, ONC

Break

Health IT Consumers Tech Showcase

Close out Day 1 of the ONC Annual Meeting with an action packed showcase of solutions and toolkits, each of which designed to improve a user’s experience when interacting with healthcare technology. Through this rapid fire format, we will feature a total of 7 individual presentations including recent STAR HIE Award winners, provider and patient facing solutions, and those designed to meet the needs of local community health centers.

• Stephen Konya, ONC, Emcee
• Yurkio de la Cruz, NACHC
• Morgan Honea, CORHIO
• Melissa Kotrys, Health Current
• Craig Limoli, WellSheet
• Nate Maslak, Ribbon Health
• Michael Perretta, Docket Health
• Kristin Rising, Jefferson Health

Session

Health IT Infrastructure Tech Showcase

Start off Day 2 of the ONC Annual Meeting, with yet another amazing Tech Showcase. This Showcase, will feature an additional 6 individual presentations, all of which are examples of efforts to improve the underlying technical infrastructure and interoperability of data necessary to support various provider, patient, and researcher facing Health IT applications. In the same back to back rapid fire format as the previous Day’s Showcase, you’ll learn about synthetic health data generation, a pediatric health IT resource for providers and developers, the development of HL7 implementation guides, and much more!

• Stephen Konya, ONC, Emcee
• Lenel James, HL7 DaVinci Project
• John Kansky, IHIE
• Mary Kratz, Interoperability Institute
• Allen Leavens, MITRE
• Kathy Mikk, MITRE
• Patrick Murta, The FAST Initiative
• Paul Oates, The FAST Initiative
• Casey Thompson, Clinovations Government + Health

Breakout Sessions III

Real World Implementation: How are You Engaging Your Stakeholders on Information Blocking?

Progress towards a more connected health system is underway and a great benefit for everyone -patients, clinicians and health care providers, health information exchanges and networks, and health IT developers. Panelists will discuss how they are engaging their stakeholders on information blocking, including how they are addressing challenges now and opportunities for the future.

• David Schoolcraft, JD, Ogden Murphy Wallace P.L.L.C., Moderator
• Tracy M. Field, JD, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs, LLP
• Josh Mast, JD, Cerner
• Joseph Schneider, MD, Texas Medical Association
• Jennifer Stoll, OCHIN

Generating Synthetic Health Data to Accelerate Patient-Centered Outcomes Research and Health IT

Synthetic health data can reflect the characteristics of a population of interest and be a useful resource for researchers, health information technology (health IT) developers, and informaticists. Researchers and developers often depend on anonymized data to test theories, data models, algorithms, or prototype innovations but may be required to aggregate, de-identify, or analyze data before it can be used. Additionally, high quality health data can be difficult to access because of cost, patient privacy concerns, or legal restrictions. The risk of re-identification of anonymized data is high and impossible to eliminate, especially for rare medical conditions. Interoperability issues impede gathering data from different resources for robustly testing analysis models, algorithms, or developing software applications. Synthetic health data helps address these issues and speeds the initiation, refinement, and testing of innovative health and research approaches. This panel will discuss ONC efforts to support the generation of synthetic health data for research. Additionally, panelists will share their experiences using various types of synthetic health data along with associated benefits and limitations.

• Stephanie Garcia, MPH, ONC, Moderator
• James Hellewell, MD, MS, Intermountain Healthcare
• Thomas Kannampallil, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
• Viet Nguyen, MD, Stratametrics, LLC
• Casey Thompson, MSN, RN-BC, Clinovations Government + Health

Education Session: How ONC and Stakeholders are Using Advancements in Health IT to Mitigate the Impact of a Public Health Emergency

As part of our overarching efforts for public health data modernization, ONC, CDC, and the health care community are working together to rethink how public health data can be supported and accessible across systems. This includes leveraging innovations beyond the traditional reporting infrastructure to enhance the scope, depth, and timeliness of data available for public health purposes. In this education session, ONC has invited a panel of both federal and industry partners to share key aspects of their work as part of the broader learning collaborative working toward these goals.

• Ryan Argentieri, MBA, MA, ONC, Moderator
• Elisabeth Myers, MBA, ONC, Moderator
• Shannon Calhoun, Aledade
• Laura Conn, MPH, CDC
• George Gooch, JD, LLM, THSA
• John W. Loonsk, MD, Johns Hopkins University
• Paul Matthews, OCHIN
• Daniel Pollack, MD, CDC

Break

Plenary Session: Social Determinants of Health Data Use and Interoperability for Improving Health Equity and Outcomes: Federal, State, and Local Perspectives

Differences in health outcomes are closely linked with social, economic, and environmental disadvantage and are often driven by the social conditions in which individuals live, learn, work, and play. Ensuring everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible involves addressing obstacles to health (such as poverty and discrimination) and recognizing and addressing the social and structural factors that greatly influence health outcomes. During this plenary, champions of health IT including those from community health centers, state Medicaid, and federal public health will share their thoughts and experiences on how health IT can enable the use of standardized, usable health data to help identify and eliminate health and social inequities resulting in disproportionately higher rates of exposure, illness, and death in care and outcomes within communities of color and other underserved populations.

• Lisa Lewis, ONC, Moderator
• Samantha Meklir, ONC, Moderator
• Timothy Carney, PhD, MPH, MBA, CDC
• Micah Jones, JD, Colorado Medicaid
• Carrie Paykoc, Colorado Office of eHealth Innovation
• Fred Rachman, MD, Alliance Chicago

Breakout Sessions IV

Integrating Emerging Data Types into Clinical Care and for Research

The future of precision medicine will rely on an ever evolving landscape of health data standards. ONC’s Advancing Standards for Precision Medicine Project has focused on two areas of standards of current importance: mobile health, sensor, and wearable data; and social determinants of health (SDOH) data. Presenters will share progress on two different use cases in these areas, walking attendees through what it takes to put a new data standard into practice for the collection of patient data outside of the clinic.

• Allison Dennis, PhD, ONC, Moderator
• David Hunt, MD, ONC, Moderator
• Chris Grasso, MPH, The Fenway Institute
• Larry Garber, MD, Reliant Medical Group

Meeting Data Modernization Needs: Standards Development Organizations Rise to the Challenge

Standard Development Organizations are facing many pressures, not only to accelerate the development of standards and implementation specifications to meet the ever growing requirements for interoperability, but they are also enhancing their internal infrastructures to facilitate meeting this demand. COVID-19 response made these requirements much more acute. Presenters will share the changes they needed to make organizationally and structurally to meet the increased demand for standards development, but also discuss how the nature of the standards themselves have changed.

• Sara Brenner, MD, MPH, FDA, Moderator
• Lindsey Hoggle, MS, RDN, PMP, FAMIA, HL7
• Marjorie Rallins, DPM, MS, Regenstrief
• Amit Trivedi, MS, IHE

Advancing Workflow Automation through Modern Computing: A National Policy and Development Agenda

This panel will share information about ONC’s effort to prepare for the mid-2021 release of a policy and development agenda on advancing workflow automation through modern computing. Automation holds tremendous potential to drive efficiency in health care delivery in the United States, where clinical and administrative workflows are burdened by manual, repetitive tasks. Panelists involved in ONC’s effort will discuss workflow automation advances and opportunities from the stakeholder perspectives of human factors engineering, patients and caregivers, and health care delivery.

• Kevin Chaney, MGS, ONC, Moderator
• Grace Cordovano, PhD, BCPA, Enlightening Results
• Nicole Kemper, MPH, Clinovations GovHealth
• Emily Patterson, PhD, Ohio State University
• Walter Suarez, MD, Kaiser Permanente;

Breakout Sessions V

Spotlight on HHS Health IT Activities to Advance Social Determinant Health Data Use and Interoperability for Health Equity

HHS is committed to achieving improvements in people’s lives by reducing health inequities. Social determinants of health such as poverty, unequal access to health care, lack of education, stigma, and racism are underlying, contributing factors of health inequities. This session will spotlight health data and interoperability related activities and approaches across several HHS agencies that aim to help address persistent inequities in health and health care and will include visionary remarks from HHS experts involved in research, public health, community living, and minority health.

• JaWanna Henry, MPH, ONC, Moderator
• Samantha Meklir, MPP, ONC, Moderator
• Timothy Carney, PhD, MPH, MBA, CDC
• Kelly Cronin, MPH, ACL
• Nancy DeLew, MA, ASPE
• Jordan Luke, MA, CMS Office of Minority Health

Congressional Roundtable: Perspectives from Capitol Hill

Hear from a bi-partisan panel of congressional staff who work on healthcare and health IT issues daily.

• Adrienne Kimble, MS, ONC, Moderator
• Colin Goldfinch, MPH, MHA, Senate HELP Committee
• Aliza Silver, JD, MPH, Senate HELP Committee