U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services (DHHS)
Office of the National Health Information Technology Coordinator (ONCHIT)
In an Executive Order issued on April 27, 2004, President George W. Bush called for widespread deployment of health information technology within 10 years. As part of this announcement, he formed the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. An important aspect of the President's initiative is the development of a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure that can facilitate improvements in safety, quality, efficiency and care coordination.
National Institutes of Health
NIH Roadmap The NIH Roadmap provides a framework of the priorities the NIH as a whole must address in order to optimize its entire research portfolio. It lays out a vision for a more efficient and productive system of medical research and it identifies the most compelling opportunities in three main areas: new pathways to discovery, research teams of the future and re-engineering the clinical research enterprise. Initiatives under the NIH Roadmap will help enable the agency to sustain its historic record of cutting-edge contributions that are central to extending the quality of healthy life for people in this country and around the world.
National Cancer Institute
Radiation Oncology Sciences Program (ROSP) The ROSP is an umbrella organization designed to coordinate all radiation oncology activities and includes the Radiation Oncology Branch, the Radiation Biology Branch and the Radiation Research Program. The activities include intramural research, extramural activities and patient outreach, both domestic and international.
Radiation Research Program (RRP) The RRP is responsible for NCI's clinically-related extramural radiation research program. The RRP establishes priorities, allocates resources and evaluates the effectiveness of such radiation research being conducted by NCI grantees. RRP staff represent the program at NCI management and scientific meetings and provide scientific support to leadership on matters related to radiation research. The RRP coordinates its activities with other radiation research programs at NCI, NIH, other federal agencies and national and international research organizations, and it provides a focal point within NIH for extramural investigators concerned with clinically related radiation research.
Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (CaBiG) To expedite the cancer research communities' access to key bioinformatics platforms, NCI plans to deploy an integrating biomedical informatics infrastructure: the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid. In partnership with the cancer research community, NCI is creating a common, extensible informatics platform that integrates diverse data types and supports interoperable analytic tools. This platform will allow research groups to tap into the rich collection of emerging cancer research data while supporting their individual investigations.
Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program The SEER Program of NCI is an authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. SEER began collecting data on cases on January 1, 1973, in the states of Connecticut, Iowa, New Mexico, Utah and Hawaii, and the metropolitan areas of Detroit and San Francisco-Oakland. In 1974-1975, the metropolitan area of Atlanta and the 13-county Seattle-Puget Sound area were added. In 1978, 10 predominantly black rural counties in Georgia were added, followed in 1980 by the addition of American Indians residing in Arizona. Three additional geographic areas participated in the SEER program prior to 1990: New Orleans, Louisiana (1974-1977, rejoined 2001); New Jersey (1979-1989, rejoined 2001); and Puerto Rico (1973-1989). The National Cancer Institute also funds a cancer registry that, with technical assistance from SEER, collects information on cancer cases among Alaska Native populations residing in Alaska. In 1992, the SEER Program was expanded to increase coverage of minority populations, especially Hispanics, by adding Los Angeles County and four counties in the San Jose-Monterey area south of San Francisco. In 2001, the SEER Program expanded coverage to include Kentucky and Greater California; in addition, New Jersey and Louisiana once again became participants.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health is responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices and eliminating unnecessary human exposure to man-made radiation from medical, occupational and consumer products. There are thousands of types of medical devices, from heart pacemakers to contact lenses. Radiation-emitting products regulated by FDA include microwave ovens, video display terminals, medical ultrasound and X-ray machines. The center accomplishes its mission by:
Miscellaneous Reports
Innovation/Stagnation – Challenge and Opportunity on the Critical Path to New Medical Products The FDA issued this report to address the growing crisis in moving basic discoveries to the market where they can be made available to patients. The report evaluates how the crisis came about and offers a way forward. It highlights examples of agency efforts that have improved the critical path and discusses opportunities for future efforts. Finally, the report calls for a joint effort of industry, academia and FDA to identify key problems and develop targeted solutions.
Good Guidance Practice (GGP) Documents Good Guidance Practice documents are documents prepared for CDRH staff, regulated industry and the public that relate to:
Guidance documents do not create or confer any rights for or on any person and do not operate to bind FDA or the public. An alternative approach may be used if such approach satisfies the requirements of the applicable statue, regulations or both.
