Advancements in Health IT: ONC’s Approved SVAP Standards for 2024

Robert Anthony | June 20, 2024

As part of ONC’s annual Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP), we’re excited to announce the Approved Standards for 2024 (2024 SVAP standards). The SVAP is designed to support industry interoperability needs by adding new standards to be used in the ONC Health IT Certification Program (Certification Program). The 2024 SVAP standards reflect feedback from federal, state, and industry partners over a four-month public comment period. Beginning August 19, 2024, health IT developers participating in the Certification Program can voluntarily incorporate the 2024 SVAP Standards into their Certified Health IT Modules.

Please make sure to review the 2024 SVAP Fact Sheet and ONC’s SVAP webpage for more information and to learn how health IT developers can voluntarily update to these newer versions of adopted standards.

Notable Updates and Feedback on the 2024 Approved SVAP Standards

United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) Version 4

ONC received significant public support for including the USCDI Version 4 as part of the 2024 SVAP standards. USCDI v4 adds new data elements such as medication reconciliation, advance care planning, behavioral health assessments, and laboratory results. These data elements not only emphasize ONC’s unwavering commitment to addressing health equity disparities but also signify its dedication to supporting underserved communities and promoting the integration of behavioral health data.

In addition to USCDI v4, public comments strongly advocated for the advancement of the associated Health Level Seven International (HL7®) FHIR® US Core Implementation Guide STU 7.0.0 (US Core IG v7) and HL7 CDA R2 Implementation Guide: Consolidated CDA Templates for Clinical Notes, Edition 3.0 – US Realm standards to guide industry toward consistent implementation of USCDI v4. US Core IG v7 sets the foundation for other US Realm FHIR implementation guides and ensures that health IT developers can access, exchange, and use the expanded set of data in USCDI v4.

Furthermore, the HL7 CDA R2 Implementation Guide: Consolidated CDA Templates for Clinical Notes, Edition 3.0 – US Realm consolidated the C-CDA specification and companion guides into a single published standard, Edition 3.0, adding C-CDA enhancement requests, and incorporating new design and guidance for USCDI v4.

Standards related to Public Health Criteria

HL7 public health implementation guides (IGs) for immunization messaging, syndromic surveillance, and national health care surveys were approved as a part of the 2024 SVAP cycle. These IGs support CDC programs and allow for enhanced interoperability, streamlined workflows, improved public health surveillance, early detection of disease outbreaks, timely response to public health emergencies, improved contributions to research, enhanced patient care and outcomes, and improved patient safety by ensuring accurate and timely public health reporting.

Interoperability and Accessibility Standards

The recently published SMART Application Launch Framework Implementation Guide Release 2.2.0 profiles the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework to provide guidance on how to securely launch and authorize applications for patients and providers to access data within electronic health record (EHR) systems. Key updates include enhanced security features for browser-based apps, refined guidance for including FHIR resources for context during app launch, and the new optional User-access Brands and Endpoints profile for publishing organization and endpoint details.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, October 5, 2023 (WCAG 2.2), is an important update to the existing accessibility standards for digital content and, as commenters referenced, has been officially recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for making web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities. By following WCAG 2.2, website owners and developers can ensure that their content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, making it easier for everyone to access and navigate digital platforms.