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Office of Health and Information Technologies (OHIT)

The Office of Health and Information Technologies (OHIT) is dedicated to increasing U.S. health technologies and information technologies (IT) exports. We do this by strengthening the global competitiveness of these industries through industry analysis, trade policy development, trade promotion, and addressing trade barriers.

What We Do For You:

We monitor business and economic trends in the health and IT industries and provide data on trade and industry size in these sectors. We use our industry knowledge to inform analysis, and influence the development of U.S. trade policy and foreign government actions that restrict or hinder U.S. exports in these sectors. We welcome input from U.S. businesses and industry associations, to take into account U.S. industry viewpoints in formal trade negotiations and other bilateral and multilateral fora to promote trade opportunities for U.S. companies. We provide industry and policy expertise in support of, and in collaboration with, other units of the International Trade Administration and the U.S. Government. We conduct webinars, give speeches, and prepare market research (including Top Market Reports on Semiconductors; Pharmaceuticals; Medical Devices; and Health Information Technology).

Who We Are:

OHIT is composed of two teams, Health Technologies and Information Technologies. Note that “Information Technology” (or “IT”) is used here in a broad sense, to include information and communications technologies hardware, sometimes referred to by the acronym ICT.

Health Technologies

The Health Technologies team covers four primary sectors:  Medical Devices; Biopharmaceuticals; Health Information Technology; and specific aspects of Health Services (primarily focused on international patient programs offered by U.S. hospitals, and diagnostic services).

The medical device industry includes surgical appliances and supplies, surgical and medical instruments, electro-medical equipment, in-vitro diagnostic substances, irradiation apparatus, and ophthalmic goods. Medical devices differ from pharmaceuticals in that they do not achieve their intended use through chemical reaction and are not metabolized in the body.

The biopharmaceuticals industry includes three types of drugs:  innovative (developed through extensive research and development efforts), generic (copies of innovative pharmaceuticals) and biological (derived from life forms such as proteins and nucleic acids).  All three categories incorporate chemically derived products that help patients address specific health conditions. 

Health Information Technology (Health IT) sector coverage is a cooperative effort between both teams in OHIT and the Office of Digital Services Industries.  Health IT primarily focuses on the digitization of health information and facilitating information exchange between equipment and across networks to improve patient care. Health IT incorporates several distinct (but often interrelated) sectors, including Electronic Health Records (EHRs), remote monitoring/telemedicine, health information networks, exchange of health data between providers and patients, and the exchange of health information through mobile devices.

Information Technologies

The IT Team covers the hardware that enables the digital economy. These products range from the semiconductors powering electronic devices like phones and computers, to the data center equipment that makes cloud computing possible. We work in close cooperation with the Office of Digital Services Industries, which covers IT services, software, and e-commerce.

We cover these major subsectors:

• Semiconductors and related equipment, including integrated circuits and other semiconductors, and equipment to manufacture and test semiconductors.
• Information technology hardware, including computers ranging from supercomputers and servers to desktop PCs; laptops, and tablets; and computer peripherals such as monitors, storage devices, and printers.
• Telecommunications equipment, including wireless mobile phones and radios; and fixed and wireless communications network and transmission equipment.

The Information Technologies team works cooperatively with other units of the International Trade Administration to provide expertise on the ICT goods component of cross-cutting applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Cities, and autonomous vehicles.

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