Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology

The Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology is a grant program aimed at enhancing the usage and potential of health IT systems. This program was developed while implementing provisions of the Cures Act, during which the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) pinpointed several obstacles. These included the unavailability of data standards and interoperability, as well as difficulties in integrating digital information into routine clinical practice in ways that were safe, useful, and user-friendly.

LEAP plans to address these issues by funding inventive solutions that could help transform the healthcare delivery system. One of the significant ways of achieving this is by pinpointing the key questions which, when answered, will highlight the barriers to nationwide interoperability and the electronic exchange of health data.

To further strengthen its initiatives, LEAP intends to engage both the health IT industry and academic researchers. This collaborative effort aims to identify and develop innovative solutions to the barriers of interoperability. The program also emphasizes the importance of sharing research findings to facilitate collaboration and advancement in the industry. This way, the health IT sector can better implement solutions and apply lessons learned from previous research.