In an April 18 letter, the American Health Information Management Association voiced concerns the most recent draft of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies spending bill for 2018 will not provide ONC with sufficient funding.
Without adequate funding, ONC will be unable to meet its statutory obligations under the 21st Century Cures Act, which passed Congress last year, AHIMA said. The 21st Century Cures Act features several health IT-focused requirements, including the creation of a Health IT Advisory Committee to review and recommend standards and implementation specifications.
"We understand that Congress faces difficult choices in funding a variety of priorities with limited resources," wrote AHIMA. "However, failure to adequately fund ONC will undermine a major tenet of the Cures Act itself."
Click here to view the full letter.