WASHINGTON – David Blumenthal, MD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said the recent flurry of activity by his office is just the start of big things to come.

"There's more than just random motion going on" with the recent launch of several key programs, he said at a Dec. 15 meeting of the HIT policy committee. "We think the programs we've announced to date relate to one another and will be synergistic."

The ONC will soon be announcing 30 recipients for regional extension center program grants, designed to provide nationwide healthcare IT resources and technical assistance to providers.

In the past month, the ONC has announced $235 million in funding for "beacon community" health IT grants and $80 million to train an HIT workforce.

Blumenthal said the beacon communities, regional extension centers and community college training programs for healthcare IT workers "will all work together."

"We hope that all of these programs will be supported by the infrastructure facilitated by states and the National Health Information Network," he said.

In recent weeks, the ONC also announced a major reorganization and expansion, which, Blumenthal said, will allow it to fulfill the growing demand for healthcare IT leadership in the country. The expansion includes the new Office of the Chief Scientist, which will work at the border of science and behavioral change to change the medical profession by using health systems.

"This is a complicated behavioral, social, science enterprise," he said.

Other new offices in the ONC will include a Chief Privacy Office, Office of Policy and Planning, Office of  Standards and Interoperability, Office of Provider Adoption, Office of Community and State Programs and Office of Economic Modeling.

Blumenthal said the ONC is currently working on a 2010 communications strategy to engage the public.