HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said the changes underscore the federal government’s efforts to play a more active role in defining AI and data policy and addressing cybersecurity concerns.
ONC Director Mickey Tripathi will take over as head of Washington’s current AI governance under an ambitious reorganization announced this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The personnel changes strengthen federal leadership on data governance and policy, as well as AI policy, which has been an ongoing concern given the rapid adoption of AI in healthcare and other industries. The changes also underscore federal leadership on cybersecurity, a critical issue in a world where ransomware attacks and cybersecurity outages are occurring almost weekly.
Tripathi, who previously served as director of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information and Technology (ONC), will now become Under Secretary for Technology Policy/National Coordinator for Health Information and Technology (ASTP/ONC) and will also serve as Acting Chief AI Officer.
Just a few weeks ago, Tripathi and Troy Tazbaz, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Digital Health Center of Excellence, ended their participation as non-voting members on the board of directors of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), an organization of more than 1,000 health systems, vendors, and other organizations working to develop standards and governance for AI. That move, and the current restructuring, signal a possible shift in the federal government’s stance on collaboration with the health care industry.
In addition to AI policy, oversight of technology and data will also be transferred from the Assistant Secretary for Administration (ASA) to ASTP/ONC, with Tripathi joining as chief technology officer and chief data officer.
Additionally, the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will take over the so-called 405(d) program, a public-private partnership between the health care industry and the federal government that addresses cybersecurity.
“Cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence are some of the most pressing issues facing the health care sector today,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release issued Thursday morning. “As an agency, HHS must be agile, accountable and strategically postured to meet the needs of our time. For decades, HHS has worked across the organization to ensure the appropriate and safe use of technology, data and AI to improve the health and well-being of Americans. This reorganization builds on those successes and prepares the agency for the challenges ahead.”
“Secretary Becerra and[アンドレア]”Under Deputy Secretary Palm’s vision and leadership, HHS is fully embracing the importance of information technology to the Department’s mission and consolidating organizational resources accordingly to lead and shape technology policy across the Department’s broad array of external and internal activities,” Tripathi said in a blog post. [Andrea}PalmHHSisfullyembracingtheimportanceofinformationtechnologytothedepartment’smissionandconsolidatingorganizationalresourcesaccordinglytoleadandshapetechnologypolicyacrossthedepartment’sbroadarrayofexternalandinternalactivities”Tripathisaidinablog
“For some time, particularly the last few years, ONC has played an informal role in setting technology and data policy across HHS,” he continued. “This move formalizes this function, creating synergies with the ongoing work we do in health IT and establishing a dedicated organizational capacity to help HHS make the most of technology and data across all operational and staff divisions.”
According to HHS, the Chief AI Officer will be responsible for:
It will set the department’s AI policy and strategy, establish internal governance, policy, and risk management approaches for the use of AI within HHS, align HHS’s AI approach in the health and human services sector, support the safe and appropriate use of AI technologies and tools across the department, and coordinate AI-related workforce and training efforts.
Tripathi will serve in that role until the federal government completes its search to fill that role, as well as the roles of chief data officer and chief technology officer.
Meanwhile, the Chief Data Officer will:
He will continue to oversee data governance and policy development, drive data literacy and data workforce initiatives, manage the HHS data strategy, support data collaboration and exchange, and steward HHS data as a strategic asset for the department.
Eric Wicklund is the associate content manager and senior editor of innovation at HealthLeaders.
