In 2010, our office helped launch the Direct Project amidst the rollout of the ONC Health IT Certification Program and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs. The Direct Project created Direct Secure Messaging, a simple, secure, scalable, and standards-based method to send health information between partners and to provide a straightforward pathway to acquire unique provider and organizational addresses to engage in exchange that resembles secure email.

As we roll into the second half of 2025, we wanted to state our TEFCA™ priorities and plans for the remainder of year.

We’re kicking off a new blog series titled “Digital Dividends,” which will discuss important innovations and opportunities in health care delivery, services, and research made possible by digitization efforts led by HHS and ASTP/ONC.

ASTP/ONC has issued an enforcement discretion notice affecting multiple requirements of the ONC Health IT Certification Program. These actions aim to reduce regulatory burden while maintaining alignment with statutory and program objectives.

ASTP is pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas Keane as the new Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/National Coordinator for Health IT. His leadership will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of health IT and HHS's technology strategy.