U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt has accepted 30 consensus standards developed to help create a national health information network. Back in October, the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) delivered to the American Heath Information Community (AHIC) recommendations and a summary report regarding the standards which are related to three interoperability specifications relating to biosurveillance, consumer empowerment, and electronic health records. These were then passed to Leavitt.

President Bush has issued an executive order that requires that any new or modified federal health information system started after January 1, 2008 meet the requirements of these new standards.