CTeL Signs in Support of ASTP's Letter to Senate HELP Committee
Recently, the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTEL) joined the Friends of ASTP, a coalition of organizations supporting the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP). This coalition recently sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) expressing concerns about the proposed elimination of ASTP and its functions.
The letter to Chairman Bill Cassidy, M.D., and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders highlights the critical role ASTP plays within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in developing and implementing policies for data, technology, interoperability, and AI programs. ASTP is pivotal to American digital health technology infrastructure, securing patient data, ensuring data availability for clinical care, and streamlining access to large datasets for research.
Together, the Friends of ASTP raised key questions for Secretary Kennedy ahead of his testimony before the HELP Committee. These questions address the Administration's vision for ASTP, the impact of the recent HHS reorganization on the office, and the timing of a nomination for a new Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy.
Given the leaked proposed HHS FY26 budget "passback" which suggests zeroing out ASTP and moving its functions under the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the coalition also questioned what entities would fill ASTP's role in improving the quality and security of health care data and expanding secure access.
Furthermore, the letter emphasizes ASTP's leadership in health IT and AI policy, including the promulgation of Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability rules (HTI-1 and HTI-2) aimed at increasing transparency and trustworthiness in AI tools. The coalition asked which federal entities would be responsible for enforcing these rules and developing new ones if ASTP is eliminated.
CTEL stands with the other organizations in the Friends of ASTP coalition in fully supporting ASTP's mission to advance the appropriate and safe use of technology, data, and AI for the health and well-being of the American people. The coalition urges the Senate HELP Committee to consider these crucial questions during their engagement with Secretary Kennedy.
Cosigned by:
Academy Health
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law
Duke University
EMI Advisors LLC
HLN Consulting LLC
Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center
Learning Health Community
Manijeh Berenji MD Consulting Inc
MD Partners, Inc.
Namaste Informatics, LLC
NCA Consulting, LLC
Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association
Society of General Internal Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis, Institute for Informatics, Data Science, and Biostatistics
Wolters Kluwer, Health Language