ONC picks team for eligibility standards quest

A Health and Human Services Department panel will debut next month to advise the national health information technology coordinator on how to help streamline the process of determining the eligibility of applicants for a range of state and federal social and human service programs, including insurance plans set up under the new health reform law.

The panel, made up of Health IT Policy and Standards committee regulars and some outside experts, has been asked to identify standards for exchanging eligibility and enrollment data electronically among a hodge-podge of federal and state health and social service programs. The standards will enable people already receiving benefits from one program to find out quickly whether they are eligible for benefits from other programs, including health insurance.