The Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology aims to address interoperability issues in electronic health records (EHR) by supporting innovative solutions to enhance health IT. This initiative seeks to engage various stakeholders to identify barriers in health data exchange and facilitate collaboration in developing effective responses.
While working to implement Cures Act provisions, ONC identified gaps with respect to leveraging EHR data to support population-level analyses and delivery of services, as well as integrating clinical knowledge into routine clinical practice. The reasons for these gaps range from a lack of data standards and interoperability to the digitization, integration, and presentation of new evidence into clinical workflows in safe, useful, and useable ways. Therefore, this funding opportunity will support innovative and breakthrough solutions critical to maximize the potential of health IT and achieve the goal of a transformed health care delivery system through various methods, such as:• Determining the fundamental questions, the answers to which will identify barriers to nationwide interoperability and electronic exchange of health data.• Engaging the health IT industry, along with academic researchers, to identify and develop innovative solutions that address barriers to interoperability.• Disseminating findings from research while fostering collaboration, advancement, and implementation of solutions and lessons learned with the health IT industry.