About ONC

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a staff division of the Office of the Secretary, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ONC leads national health IT efforts, charged as the principal federal entity to coordinate nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information

The challenge

Increase the transparency and access to their health information, in order to make more informed decisions about their health, care for their family members, and share information with their providers

The solution

A team of PIFs, in partnership with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), VA, DoD, & CMS to expand the Blue Button Initiatives including connector, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) API standards for interoperability and a FHIR test server in SITE and CMS. The Blue Button symbol helps patients find places to get their health records electronically across the internet.

The impact

As a result of the Blue Button Initiative, over 150 million Americans have access to their personalized health data, and more than 600 organizations have committed to advance health information access efforts.