Big Cities Health Coalition urges Congress to fund ONC at $86M for enhanced digital health ecosystem

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The Big Cities Health Coalition joined more than 50 health organizations to urge Congressional health subcommittees to fund the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology at no less than $86 million.

As the lead agency for health information technology advancement and cross-agency coordination, ONC continues to be a key partner to public and private sector stakeholders to advance the digital health ecosystem. This $17 million increase in funding for ONC would better reflect their growing responsibilities and provide them with additional necessary resources to help achieve nationwide, standards-based health information exchange to support better health enabled by data. 

Since 2004, ONC has largely operated at the same annual funding levels despite being entrusted by Congress with new and resource-intensive authorities and responsibilities through legislation, including the HITECH Act, 21st Century Cures Act, and MACRA. The passage of the HITECH Act of 2009, which propelled our nation’s healthcare system into the 21st Century, rapidly accelerated our ability to exchange healthcare records and data to support healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes. Throughout this transformation, ONC has been a convener for health IT activities across federal agencies, states, and healthcare sector stakeholders, supporting a wide array of initiatives aimed at advancing national goals for better, safer, and more equitable healthcare through a nationwide interoperable health IT infrastructure.

Fully funding ONC will allow them to continue their critical work to support a more innovative and data-driven healthcare ecosystem that empowers and protects patients, improves care delivery and provider experience, accelerates research and innovation, and advances health IT capabilities and infrastructure. 

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