2010-1235. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee's Workgroup Meetings; Notice of Meetings

AGENCY:

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice of meetings.

This notice announces forthcoming subcommittee meetings of a federal advisory committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The meetings will be open to the public via dial-in access only.

Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups: Meaningful Use, Privacy & Security Policy, Strategic Plan, Adoption/Certification, and Nationwide Health Information Infrastructure (NHIN) workgroups.

General Function of the Committee: To provide recommendations to the National Coordinator on a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that permits the electronic exchange and use of health information as is consistent with the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan and that includes recommendations on the areas in which standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are needed.

Date and Time: The HIT Policy Committee Workgroups will hold the following public meetings during February 2010: February 3rd Privacy & Security Policy Workgroup, 3 to 4:30 p.m./Eastern Time; February 9th Strategic Plan Workgroup, 9 to 12 p.m./Eastern Time; February 11th Adoption/Certification Workgroup, 2 to 5 p.m./Eastern Time; February 12th Meaningful Use Workgroup, 11 to 1 p.m./Eastern Time; February 16th NHIN Workgroup, 10 to 2 p.m./Eastern Time; February 19th Privacy & Security Policy Workgroup, 2 to 4 p.m./Eastern Time; and February 26th Strategic Plan Workgroup, 9 to 12 p.m./Eastern Time.

Location: All workgroup meetings will be available via Webcast; for instructions on how to listen via telephone or Web visit http://healthit.hhs.gov. Please check the ONC Web site for additional information as it becomes available.

Contact Person: Judy Sparrow, Office of the National Coordinator, HHS, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20201, 202-205-4528, Fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Please call the contact person for up-to-date information on these meetings. A notice in the Federal Register about last-minute modifications that impact a previously announced advisory committee meeting cannot always be published quickly enough to provide timely notice.

Agenda: The workgroups will be discussing issues related to their specific subject matter, e.g., meaningful use, the NHIN, privacy and security policy, adoption/certification, or strategic planning. If background materials are associated with the workgroup meetings, they will be posted on ONC's Web site prior to the meeting at http://healthit.hhs.gov.

Procedure: Interested persons may present data, information, or views, orally or in writing, on issues pending before the workgroups. Written submissions may be made to the contact person on or before two days prior to the workgroups' meeting date. Oral comments from the pubic will be scheduled at the conclusion of each workgroup meeting. Time allotted for each presentation will be limited to three minutes. If the number of speakers requesting to comment is greater than can be reasonably accommodated during the scheduled open public session, ONC will take written comments after the meeting until close of business on that day.

If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Judy Sparrow at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting.

ONC is committed to the orderly conduct of its advisory committee meetings. Please visit our Web site at http://healthit.hhs.gov for procedures on public conduct during advisory committee meetings.

Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C., App. 2).

Dated: January 15, 2010.

Judith Sparrow,

Office of Programs and Coordination, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.