The Department of Health and Human Services is set to form a new digital service component as part of its ongoing reorganization push.
The new unit, which will fall under the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ASTP/ONC, will offer “on demand” digital and technical expertise to support HHS agencies’ technology modernization efforts, according to ASTP Micky Tripathy.
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Tripathy, who also serves as the department’s acting chief artificial intelligence officer, said during a health IT event in September that the new division will minimize the need for individual HHS agencies to seek out and hire new teams, allowing them to lean on the digital service organization’s staff for technology consulting and enablement, GovCIO reported
How Is HHS Reorganizing?
HHS established ASTP/ONC as part of a major reorganization endeavor launched in late July. Formerly known as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, ASTP/ONC now oversees department-wide and interagency technology, data and AI strategy and policy. It also manages the newly created Office of the Chief Technology Officer, which reintroduced the CTO role to HHS, as well as the Offices of the Chief AI Officer and Chief Data Officer.
HHS Makes Strategic Moves for Tech Modernization
In September, HHS finalized its 2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, which is built on four pillars:
- Promoting health and wellness
- Enhancing the delivery and experience of care
- Accelerating research and innovation
- Connecting the health system with health data
Tripathy described the plan as “a culmination of partnership across the federal government to examine the forces shaping the healthcare ecosystem today” and a way to “craft a set of strategies to guide how to prioritize resources, align and coordinate federal health IT initiatives and activities, signal priorities to industry and benchmark and assess progress over time.”
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