The Department of Health and Human Services has realigned its health technology leadership structure, reversing a 2024 reorganization and restoring enterprise tech responsibilities under the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
The leadership realignment at HHS reflects evolving approaches to how agencies structure and manage digital capabilities. Attend the 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22 to hear leaders discuss AI, cybersecurity, enterprise IT and other key technology priorities impacting government operations. Register now!
HHS said Tuesday the move is intended to strengthen departmentwide technology coordination while allowing the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ONC, to focus on health IT interoperability, policy and data liquidity.
What Are the Key Changes to HHS Tech Leadership?
HHS has restored ONC as a singularly titled office and reassigned enterprise technology roles back to OCIO. It shifted the roles and responsibilities of the chief technology officer, chief artificial intelligence officer and chief data officer under OCIO. HHS also has returned cybersecurity and enterprise IT functions to OCIO.
Under the updated structure, OCIO will organize these roles across three areas: technology leadership and innovation led by the CTO; AI oversight led by the CAIO; and enterprise data governance and analytics led by the CDO.
“This structure allows OCIO to provide an integrated backbone for cloud, cybersecurity, data, and AI that every HHS component can rely on,” said HHS CIO Clark Minor. “By bringing CTO, CAIO, and CDO functions together under one roof, we can move faster on shared platforms, protect our systems more effectively, and support ONC and the operating divisions with the technology capabilities they need to innovate for patients.”
Minor added that OCIO is focused on delivering enterprise services that are resilient, compliant and prepared for the next generation of digital health.
How Will ONC Operate Under the New Leadership Structure?
ONC will continue to operate as a staff division within the HHS Office of the Secretary, with the national coordinator reporting directly to the HHS secretary. It will coordinate with OCIO, HHS operating divisions and other key stakeholders to advance health technology regulations and policies, including those related to the use of AI in clinical care.
“With this Department-wide alignment, ONC can focus even more on standards, certification, and policy, while our close partnership with OCIO ensures that the infrastructure and cybersecurity foundation are in place to support the health care system of tomorrow,” said Thomas Keane, national coordinator for health IT at HHS.
Keane added that ONC and OCIO are coordinating on policy, infrastructure and the deployment of AI and data capabilities to support data availability across the health system.
How Do the Tech Leadership Changes Align With Recent HHS Health IT, AI Policy Moves?
The new structure follows a series of recent HHS actions related to health IT policy, certification and AI. The department recently made changes to its IT leadership team.
In December, HHS proposed the Health Data, Technology and Interoperability, or HTI-5, rule to streamline the health IT certification requirements, strengthen patient protections against information blocking and lay the groundwork for AI-enabled data exchange across the healthcare system.
The proposed HTI-5 rule came weeks after the department introduced its AI strategy.
