Incentives for the Use of Health Information Technology and Establishing the Position of the National Health Information Technology Coordinator

(b) The National Health Information Technology Coordinator (National Coordinator), appointed by the Secretary in consultation with the President or his designee, will report directly to the Secretary.

(c) The Secretary shall provide the National Coordinator with appropriate staff, administrative support, and other resources to meet its responsibilities under this order.

(d) The Secretary shall ensure that the National Coordinator begins operations within 90 days of the date of this order.

(a) Ensures that appropriate information to guide medical decisions is available at the time and place of care;

(b) Improves health care quality, reduces medical errors, and advances the delivery of appropriate, evidence-based medical care;

(c) Reduces health care costs resulting from inefficiency, medical errors, inappropriate care, and incomplete information;

(d) Promotes a more effective marketplace, greater competition, and increased choice through the wider availability of accurate information on health care costs, quality, and outcomes;

(e) Improves the coordination of care and information among hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, and other ambulatory care providers through an effective infrastructure for the secure and authorized exchange of health care information; and

(f) Ensures that patients' individually identifiable health information is secure and protected.

(i)Advance the development, adoption, and implementation of health care information technology standards nationally through collaboration among public and private interests, and consistent with current efforts to set health information technology standards for use by the Federal Government;(ii)Ensure that key technical, scientific, economic, and other issues affecting the public and private adoption of health information technology are addressed;(iii)Evaluate evidence on the benefits and costs of interoperable health information technology and assess to whom these benefits and costs accrue;(iv)Address privacy and security issues related to interoperable health information technology and recommend methods to ensure appropriate authorization, authentication, and encryption of data for transmission over the Internet;(v)Not assume or rely upon additional Federal resources or spending to accomplish adoption of interoperable health information technology; and(vi)Include measurable outcome goals.

(b) The National Coordinator shall:

(i)Serve as the Secretary's principal advisor on the development, application, and use of health information technology, and direct the Department of Health and Human Service's health information technology programs;(ii)Ensure that health information technology policy and programs of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are coordinated with those of relevant executive branch agencies (including Federal commissions) with a goal of avoiding duplication of efforts and of helping to ensure that each agency undertakes activities primarily within the areas of its greatest expertise and technical capability;(iii)To the extent permitted by law, coordinate outreach and consultation by the relevant executive branch agencies (including Federal commissions) with public and private parties of interest, including consumers, providers, payers, and administrators; and(iv)At the request of the Office of Management and Budget, provide comments and advice regarding specific Federal health information technology programs.

(a) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall report within 90 days of this order on options to provide incentives in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program that will promote the adoption of interoperable health information technology; and

(b) Within 90 days, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly report on the approaches the Departments could take to work more actively with the private sector to make their health information systems available as an affordable option for providers in rural and medically underserved communities.

(b) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its agencies, its entities or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other person.