Vendors React to HHS' New Proposed Rule on Health IT Procurement

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a new proposed rule earlier this month outlining new standards and requirements around acquisition of health information technology.As described in the proposal, which was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 9, the aim is to amend the existing Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation, or HHSAR, to require procurement of health IT) that "meets standards and implementation specifications (standards) adopted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the following parts: Acquisition of Information Technology and Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses."As explained by Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Micky Tripathi (whose new job title comes after a departmental reorganization this past July) in a recent blog post, the move is a key part of the HHS Health IT Alignment Policy announced by the Biden Administration in 2022.