First Comprehensive HHS Data Sharing Report Released

Today, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer published a comprehensive report of the data sharing environment at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The report explores the challenges of sharing data between HHS agencies: https://www.hhs.gov/cto/initiatives/data-initiative/index.html

Led by HHS Chief Data Officer Dr. Mona Siddiqui, a small team of HHS staff interviewed agency leadership and staff from eleven HHS agencies, including at the NIH, CDC, FDA, CMS, and AHRQ, about the challenges and opportunities in sharing data between agencies. This report focuses specifically on data assets identified by the agencies as having high value and that are restricted or nonpublic.

The report is part of an ongoing effort to build and implement an enterprise-wide data strategy at HHS. Creating a data-driven department requires implementing a cohesive data governance structure as well as a platform to encourages data sharing, acknowledge data as an asset, and design policy around evidence.

According to the report, HHS lacks a consistent, transparent, and standardized protocol for interagency data sharing. While there are project-by-project successes, there is significant opportunity to develop a framework to efficiently scale. The report also outlines legal, technical, and cultural challenges.

Across the federal government, there is a growing consensus around the value of data governance to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. This report aims to highlight opportunities for improvement so that HHS can become a more data-driven organization. The findings indicate a need for continued engagement across HHS agencies to ensure success in building a cohesive data strategy.

Read the full report here: https://www.hhs.gov/cto/initiatives/data-initiative/index.html