[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2564,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"As the federal government goes into the third day of its shutdown, the Department of Health and Human Services has a contingency staffing plan set to take effect that would continue the HHS\u2019s operations in many areas.

While the plan<\/a> calls for HHS to furlough half of its staff as of day two of a near-term funding hiatus, the Medicare program would continue largely without disruption during a short-term lapse as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services\u2019 other non-discretionary activities.

However, the activities of other agencies\u2014such as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology\u2014would not continue under the plan.

\u201cONC will be unable to continue work on standards coordination, implementation, and testing as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and the 21st Century Cures (Cures) Act,\u201d states the HHS document.

In addition, the agency \u201cwill be unable to increase interoperability and coordinate federal efforts to ensure improvements of usability related to the use of health IT\u201d and \u201cwill not continue working with its partners to combat information blocking and advance other policy and rulemaking activities as required under the Cures Act.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: Government shutdown won\u2019t affect ICD-10 rollout, CMS says<\/a>

HHS estimates that 536 staff\u2014excluding those otherwise authorized by law--would be exempted from the furloughs for the protection of computer data, of which 140 personnel at the National Institutes of Health would be exempted to maintain computerized systems to support research and clinical patient care.

\u201cThe majority of retained individuals would be for the maintenance of the hospital data network, clinical research information system, picture archiving and communications systems, radiology information systems and other components directly related to the electronic patient medical record (e.g., patient care unit workstations on wheels and bar coding devices),\u201d according to the plan.

Further, other retained employees \u201cwould be necessary to curate concurrent toxicologic data from external contractor sites requiring sophisticated data-handling expertise to prevent corruption of data streams, as well as to ensure the integrity of experimental data systems.\u201d

However, HHS adds that during a shutdown \u201cthere would be no routine updating of databases that is normally a major part of these database operations\u201d and that \u201cthe plan for continuation of IT infrastructure services represents only the bare minimum to sustain the essential infrastructure for keeping the National Library of Medicine data center operational for serving the external biomedical databases that are used in the provision of non-Federal healthcare.\u201d

According to HHS, the plan \u201crepresents initial estimates for HHS activities under a lapse\u201d in congressional appropriations and that over the duration of any lapse, the agency \u201cwould continue to review its resources and authorities to minimize impact of such a lapse.\u201d","saveContent":"As the federal government goes into the third day of its shutdown, the Department of Health and Human Services has a contingency staffing plan set to take effect that would continue the HHS\u2019s operations in many areas.

While the plan<\/a> calls for HHS to furlough half of its staff as of day two of a near-term funding hiatus, the Medicare program would continue largely without disruption during a short-term lapse as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services\u2019 other non-discretionary activities.

However, the activities of other agencies\u2014such as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology\u2014would not continue under the plan.

\u201cONC will be unable to continue work on standards coordination, implementation, and testing as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and the 21st Century Cures (Cures) Act,\u201d states the HHS document.

In addition, the agency \u201cwill be unable to increase interoperability and coordinate federal efforts to ensure improvements of usability related to the use of health IT\u201d and \u201cwill not continue working with its partners to combat information blocking and advance other policy and rulemaking activities as required under the Cures Act.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: Government shutdown won\u2019t affect ICD-10 rollout, CMS says<\/a>

HHS estimates that 536 staff\u2014excluding those otherwise authorized by law--would be exempted from the furloughs for the protection of computer data, of which 140 personnel at the National Institutes of Health would be exempted to maintain computerized systems to support research and clinical patient care.

\u201cThe majority of retained individuals would be for the maintenance of the hospital data network, clinical research information system, picture archiving and communications systems, radiology information systems and other components directly related to the electronic patient medical record (e.g., patient care unit workstations on wheels and bar coding devices),\u201d according to the plan.

Further, other retained employees \u201cwould be necessary to curate concurrent toxicologic data from external contractor sites requiring sophisticated data-handling expertise to prevent corruption of data streams, as well as to ensure the integrity of experimental data systems.\u201d

However, HHS adds that during a shutdown \u201cthere would be no routine updating of databases that is normally a major part of these database operations\u201d and that \u201cthe plan for continuation of IT infrastructure services represents only the bare minimum to sustain the essential infrastructure for keeping the National Library of Medicine data center operational for serving the external biomedical databases that are used in the provision of non-Federal healthcare.\u201d

According to HHS, the plan \u201crepresents initial estimates for HHS activities under a lapse\u201d in congressional appropriations and that over the duration of any lapse, the agency \u201cwould continue to review its resources and authorities to minimize impact of such a lapse.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Contingency plan maintains HHS operations during government shutdown

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