{"id":5595,"date":"2014-01-30T09:15:22","date_gmt":"2014-01-30T14:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.healthit.gov\/buzz-blog\/?p=5595"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:10:12","slug":"onc-west-health-talk-interoperability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthit.gov\/blog\/insights-updates\/onc-west-health-talk-interoperability\/","title":{"rendered":"ONC and West Health to talk interoperability at HCI-DC on February 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last week, more than 1,000 ONC grantees and stakeholders gathered in Washington, D.C. for ONC\u2019s Annual Meeting<\/a>. It was largely my first opportunity to meet the many ONC partners committed to advancing the promise of health information technology to improve the value of care and improve health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is inspiring work happening across the country that is improving the effectiveness, efficiency and experience of care and our grantees and partners have much to be proud of in their rapid advancement.  We still have work to do to achieve the seamless, accessible, paperless, and learning system we desire, but I am encouraged at the progress in just a few short years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During perhaps the most exciting part of the conference, Secretary Sebelius and United Kingdom Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt signed a bi-lateral agreement<\/a> to strengthen efforts to cultivate and increase the use of health IT designed to help improve the quality and efficiency of health care in both countries. This marks an important commitment between the United States and United Kingdom to advance innovations in health IT that will enable not only better care, but better opportunities for supporting and protecting health globally. Developing and agreeing upon shared approaches and standards for data capture, use and interoperability will be crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am so excited to be joining colleagues to do a deep dive on interoperability at next week’s HCI-DC: Igniting an Interoperable Health Care System<\/i><\/a> convening on February 6 here in Washington, D.C., which ONC is co-hosting with the Gary and Mary West Health Institute<\/a>.\u00a0 The public and private sector will convene at the HCI-DC conference \u00a0to discuss how health information technology and meaningful interoperability will allow innovative solutions to improve our nation\u2019s health care delivery system for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the day, we will tackle interoperability from a variety of perspectives\u2014including the point of care, the market need, the vendor, and the health system\u2014and we\u2019ll learn from other industries about their approach to interoperability. We will bring government leaders (including some of my ONC colleagues), policy makers, health care advocates, business leaders, business development executives, academics, and product and technology specialists together to drive the conversation on interoperability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will also hear about ONC\u2019s work towards the shared goal.  For example, during a morning \u201cfireside chat,\u201d ONC\u2019s Doug Fridsma will be joined by FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health Director Jeffrey Shuren for a discussion on our agencies\u2019 shared efforts towards interoperability.  And finally, we will hear keynote remarks from best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, you won\u2019t want to miss this exciting lineup of speakers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n