August 1, 2025
Susan Monarez, PhD
Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30329
Dear Director Monarez:
On behalf of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), the nation’s leading authority on health information technology (IT), I extend my warmest congratulations on your confirmation as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As the former acting director and a microbiologist and immunologist, you have first-hand knowledge of the many challenges impacting the CDC and its critical work in optimizing the health of Americans. WEDI offers our assistance to you and your colleagues at the CDC regarding the development and adoption of data standards that support data exchange and interoperability throughout the health care system.
WEDI was formed in 1991 by then Secretary of Health and Human Services under the George H.W. Bush Administration, Dr. Louis Sullivan. WEDI was designated in the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) legislation as an advisor to HHS and we have collaborated with every administration since the passage of that landmark legislation. With a focus on advancing standards for electronic administrative transactions, and promoting data privacy and security, WEDI’s diverse membership includes health plans, providers, standards development organizations, vendors, federal and state government agencies, and patient advocacy organizations.
As an advisor to HHS, WEDI has a strong working relationship with the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), the federal advisory committee that the CDC administers. We testified numerous times before NCVHS on topics covering new and updated administrative data standards, business operating rules that support data standards, and privacy and security. We look forward to working with NCVHS when they resume meeting.
WEDI facilitates cross-industry collaboration through our many workgroups and educational activities. A previous wide-scale effort we executed was the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Through our multistakeholder workgroups focusing on ICD-10 content, implementation, crosswalking, testing, and business functionchanges, we produced numerous written resources, webinars, and conference sessions that educated and supported the industry through that challenging transition.
As part of our commitment to working collaboratively with the federal government, we have representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy who serve on our board of directors. Individuals from those agencies, as well as other federal agencies, participate in our workgroups and serve as faculty at our educational events. We also have representatives from state health departments on our board. This strong public-private partnership is essential to achieving our shared goal of a truly interoperable and effective health care ecosystem.
Our industry faces the ongoing challenges of reducing the burdens associated with administrative processes, automating data flow between providers and health plans, ensuring that consumers have access to the information they need to be partners in their care, and safeguarding the privacy and security of health data. As you begin to develop and then implement your priorities, we urge you to call on our diverse membership and expertise for input on a wide variety of data standards and exchange issues.
In conclusion, I offer you our best wishes for great success as the CDC Director. Our organization looks forward to continuing our important partnership with your agency. Please contact me at 202.368.2675 or rtennant@wedi.org with any questions you may have or to discuss collaboration opportunities.
Sincerely,
/s/
Robert M. Tennant
Executive Director, WEDI
cc:
WEDI Board of Directors