ISA Timeline and Comment Process

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Comments on the ISA are accepted year-round, and changes are made to the web version of the ISA frequently throughout the year, based on comments and other changes to the health IT standards environment as ONC becomes aware of them. An annual Review and Comment period also occurs each summer-fall, when a majority of comments are received. See the process timeline below for more details. 

Annual ISA Process Timeline

  • January: Current Year Reference Edition is published, web version of ISA is available for ongoing review and comments.
  • Winter/Spring/Summer: Changes may be made to the web-version of the ISA throughout the year, while the ISA Reference Edition remains static.
  • Late Summer/Early Fall: Annual Review and Comment Period opens for sixty days - site changes are on hold so all reviewers are seeing the same content. 
  • Fall: ONC and HHS staff review comments received, make site updates and prepare the following year's Reference Edition for publication by late December. 

How to Comment on the ISA

  • An ISA site account is required in order to comment on the ISA.
    • If you have an account already, click the "Login" button at the top right of the ISA. 
    • To create an account, click the "Login" button, then "Create new account" tab above the login window. Account approval is required, and is generally completed within 1 - 24 hours. 
  • Once you're authenticated to the ISA site, you can submit comments on most ISA pages - just scroll to the bottom of the relevant page, enter the text of your comment (or provide attachments, if needed) and submit. Your comment will be reviewed by ONC or other HHS subject matter experts, and changes will be considered for publication to the ISA. 
  • While comments by topic (posted to individual Interoperability Need pages) are preferred, and allow greater visibility to your comments by other industry stakeholders, consolidated comment letters are also accepted. You may provide these comments on general information pages, and ONC staff will triage them, and assign them to subject matter experts.