42 U.S.C. § 300jj–13 — Setting priorities for standards adoption

(a) Identifying priorities (1) Not later than 6 months after the HIT Advisory Committee's first meeting, the National Coordinator must periodically convene the Committee to: (A) identify priority uses of health information technology, focusing on priorities arising from the incentive programs for meaningful use of certified EHR technology, the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, Alternative Payment Models, the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, and any other value-based payment program the Secretary decides is appropriate; priorities related to patient care quality; public health; clinical research; privacy and security of electronic health information; innovation in health IT; patient safety; usability of health IT; individuals' access to electronic health information; and other priorities the Secretary decides are appropriate; (B) identify existing standards and implementation specifications that support the use and exchange of electronic health information needed to meet those priorities; and (C) publish a report summarizing the findings of that analysis and making appropriate recommendations. (2) In identifying those standards and implementation specifications under paragraph (1)(B), the Committee must prioritize ones developed by consensus-based standards development organizations. (3) Working with the consensus-based entity described in section 1395aaa and other appropriate federal agencies, the analysis of existing standards under paragraph (1)(B) must evaluate whether a core set of common data elements and associated value sets is needed to help certified health IT capture, use, and exchange structured electronic health information. (b) Review of adopted standards (1) Starting 5 years after December 13, 2016, and every 3 years after that, the National Coordinator must convene stakeholders to review the existing set of adopted standards and implementation specifications and recommend whether to (A) keep using them or (B) phase them out. (2) The Committee, working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, must annually - using public input - review and publish priorities for using health information technology, standards, and implementation specifications supporting those priorities. (c) Rule of construction Nothing in this section stops the use or adoption of new standards that improve on the existing health IT infrastructure and support secure exchange of health information.