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Welcome to the OHA’s Health Information Technology (IT) eNewsletter! Here you will find updates on health IT in Oregon and at the federal level. For a deeper dive into health IT in Oregon, check out the Policy and Program Updates. If there are specific items you would like to see in this newsletter, please send ideas to HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
June Meeting
HITOC’s next meeting is an in-person retreat on June 5 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Portland, Oregon, at the Five Oak building at 421 SW Oak St, Ste 775. A virtual option will also be available. The retreat will focus on health IT in behavioral health, exploring the unique needs and opportunities in this area. HITOC’s goals for the retreat are to:
- learn about health IT nuances specific to behavioral health,
- identify current gaps and opportunities for greater support,
- discuss what HITOC or other partners could do to better support health IT for behavioral health, and
- identify actions HITOC can take.
There will be two panels, featuring representatives from coordinated-care organizations (CCOs) and behavioral health provider organizations. The panelists will discuss what has worked well to support greater health IT adoption and use in behavioral health and which challenges remain. If members of the public would like to attend the retreat in person, they should email Laurel Moffat at HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov at least two days in advance to coordinate access to the building, if possible.
As always, a public comment period will be available: refer to the meeting agenda for times or email HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
Monitoring Federal Changes and Impacts on Oregon
OHA launched a webpage that lists some of the latest information about federal policy changes and their potential impacts on Oregon. Visit the webpage to learn more.
New Resource Supports Payers on CMS Interoperability Compliance
The Sequoia Project published a “Payer-to-Payer Compliance Readiness Checklist”, designed to help payers assess their readiness for compliance with the payer-to-payer components of the CMS-0057-F final rule. The readiness checklist serves as a resource for any payer seeking to implement the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation. This editable checklist provides an easy-to-use framework that helps identify both explicit and implicit regulatory and operational requirements, ensuring payers are well-prepared to meet compliance standards. Read more about this resource here.
Request for information: CMS Seeks Public Input on Improving Technology to Empower Medicare Beneficiaries
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ASTP/ONC), seeks input from the public on the digital health product landscape for Medicare beneficiaries, as well as the state of data interoperability and broader health technology infrastructure. Public input will inform how best to advance a seamless, secure, and patient-centered digital health infrastructure.
The request for information (RFI) invites input from patients, caregivers, providers, payers, technology developers, and other stakeholders on how CMS and ASTP/ONC can:
- Drive the development and adoption of digital health management and care navigation applications;
- Strengthen interoperability and secure access to health data through open, standards-based technologies;
- Identify barriers preventing the seamless exchange of health information across systems; and
- Reduce administrative burden while accelerating progress toward value-based, patient-centered care.
The public comment period will be open through June 16, 2025. All comments should be submitted at the Federal Register here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/05/16/2025-08701/request-for-information-health-technology-ecosystem.
OHA Health IT Meetings/Events
Other Events
Join us for the next Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) Service Provider Technical Assistance (TA) Learning Collaborative (LC) on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. PT.
This event is for enrolled HRSN service providers who have offered at least one HRSN service and CCO front line staff that are coordinating HRSN service delivery. Specific topics are in development but participants will share strategies, learn from one another, and engage in an open forum to share feedback and ask questions related to providing HRSN services.
Register in advance for the series (required):
HRSN Service Provider TA Learning Collaborative 6/18
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Background: In collaboration with Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN) is providing technical assistance and educational opportunities, to support HRSN service providers implementation of HRSN benefits.
Accessibility: Everyone has a right to know about and use OHA programs and services. Some examples of the services and accommodations OHA can provide: sign language and spoken language interpreters, written materials in other languages, braille, large print, audio and other formats. If you need help or have questions, please contact Claire Londagin at (londagin@ohsu.edu) at least 48 hours before the meeting.
Want to weigh in on OHA’s Health IT work? How to make public comment:
OHA’s Health IT committee and workgroup meetings (i.e., HITOC, HITAG) are open to the public, and public comment is always welcome at the meeting during the specified time or in writing at any time. Public comment is an important part of OHA’s committee work and is an opportunity for members of the public to provide input and feedback to the Committee or Workgroup.
Meetings
Typically, the public comment period is held at the end of each meeting. There may occasionally be more than one comment period. Members of the public are asked to comment or post in the chat only during this period, and to keep verbal comments to about 2 minutes. The public comment period is held solely for the public to share their thoughts with the Committee or Workgroup. Committee members are unlikely to ask questions or respond to public comment directly but consider public comments during committee work. If you know before the meeting that you’d like to provide public comment, you can email HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov to sign up. If you’d like to provide public comment during the meeting, you can message one of the hosts to sign-up. If you are unable to message, please speak up during the open public comment period.
Written Comment
You can also send written public comment to HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov at any time. To be included in the materials a meeting please submit the comment no less than 2 business days before the intended meeting. Please specify which group it is for – HITOC or HITAG. Written comment is emailed out and posted as part of meeting materials.
Have questions about public comment? We want to hear from you! Please email HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov
Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:
- CART (live captions)
- Sign language and spoken language interpreters
- Written materials in other languages
- Braille
- Large print
- Audio and other formats
If you need help or have questions, please email HITOC.INFO@odhsoha.oregon.gov or contact (503) 373-7859 at least 48 hours before the meeting. OHA will make every effort to provide services for requests made closer to the meeting.
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