HHS budget focuses on security; Precision Medicine
The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposed $1.09 trillion budget calls for $92 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT--up from $60 million last year.
HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell also lobbied for $215 million for the Precision Medicine Initiative and $74 million for cybersecurity efforts. Burwell made her case for the funding at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health.
Under the Precision Medicine Initiative, the National Institutes of Health would receive $200 million to launch a national research cohort of 1 million Americans who agree to share their genetic data.
HHS plans to modernize the regulatory framework to aid the development and use of molecular diagnostics, and develop technology and define standards to enable the exchange of data, while ensuring that appropriate privacy protections are in place, Burwell said in her testimony, requesting $5 million for ONC to do so.
"As cyberthreats continue to multiply and become more complex, it is critical for the U.S. government to ensure that its information systems are protected from any potential attacks," Burwell said. "This investment is designed to reinforce and protect the department's information technology systems against the growing threats within the cybercommunity. This funding also supports the department's ability to quickly respond to evolving security threats and to better support ongoing infrastructure upgrades."
Read Burwell's complete testimony.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.