In a field like health care where precision can mean saving a life, one irony I often reflect on is how unclear we’ve been about “sex” and “gender.” Among many anecdotes, this includes at times putting the prefix “administrative” in front of each to inexplicably constrain the meaning in ways that are rarely universally understood.

October is a great month for so many reasons. Costume shopping with the kids, the beauty of autumn, and—hitting close to home for me as a breast cancer survivor—National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
It is a time to raise awareness about breast cancer, share how early detection can save lives, and remind us all that breast cancer is not just a disease that threatens women. It is a time to spread awareness in support of all the current breast cancer fighters,

Astute readers of the Health IT Buzz Blog (are there any other kind?) and those familiar with ONC’s 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act) Final Rule will recall that we’ve talked a lot about the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI). ONC’s Cures Act Final Rule adopted USCDI version 1 as a standard, thereby establishing a new baseline for the data elements required to be accessible through certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.

Seven years ago the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) began work on the Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE). PULSE is an effort to create national resilience by improving first responder access to patient electronic health information they need to provide services and ensure public health during disasters, including public health emergencies.