The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has announced that it will establish a new Office of the Chief Privacy Officer as part of a reorganization to better support the adoption and implementation of health IT. This office will be lead by a Chief Privacy Officer, which will be named by the Secretary, and will advise the national coordinator for health IT and others on issues related to data privacy and security.
The changes to ONC’s operational structure became effective December 1, and in addition include the creation of four new offices:
· (1) The Office of Economic Modeling and Analysis – This office will apply statistical and economic approaches to health IT investments and policies.
· (2) The Office of the Chief Scientist – This office will evaluate health IT grant programs, track innovations, lead research efforts and develop education programs. It replaces the interoperability and standards group.
· (3) The Office of the Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy – Replacing ONC’s programs and coordination division, this office will oversee health IT grant programs.
· (4) The Office of the Deputy National Coordinator for Operations – This office will replace ONC’s policy and research group and will perform activities such as budget formulation, facilities management, contract and grants management, and financial strategic planning.
All offices will report directly to David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health IT.