HHS Makes Key HIT Appointments

Health and Human Services announced the appointment of three members to the HIT Policy Committee, as well as members of the HIT Standards Committee. The two new federal advisory committees were established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“The Policy and Standards Committees bring together a wide diversity of key stakeholders to help guide the advancement of health IT as an integral part of health reform,” says David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, national coordinator for HIT at HHS and chairman of the Policy Committee.

The HIT Policy Committee will make recommendations to the national coordinator for HIT on a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide interoperable health information infrastructure, including standards for the secure and private exchange of patient medical information.

The HHS appointees to the Policy Committee are as follows:

David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
National coordinator for HIT
Health and Human Services

Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH
Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Deven C. McGraw, JD, MPH
Director, Health Privacy Project, Center for Democracy & Technology

An additional 13 members were appointed by the Acting Comptroller General of the United States and four members appointed by the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. A complete list of the Policy Committee can be found at http://healthit.hhs.gov. The presidential appointments from relevant federal agencies are expected to be announced prior to the HIT Policy Committee’s second meeting in June.

In addition, appointments were made to the HIT Standards Committee, also a federal advisory body, which is charged with making recommendations to the national coordinator on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information.

Members appointed by HHS are as follows:

Jonathan Perlin, MD, chair
Healthcare Corporation of America

John Halamka, MD, cochair
Harvard Medical School

Dixie Baker, PhD
Science Applications International Corporation

Anne Castro
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

Christopher Chute, MD
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine

Janet Corrigan, PhD
National Quality Forum

John Derr, RPh
Golden Living, LLC

Linda Dillman
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc

James Ferguson
Kaiser Permanente

Steven Findlay, MPH
Consumers Union

Douglas Fridsma, MD, PhD
Arizona Biomedical Collaborative

C. Martin Harris, MD, MBA
Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Stanley M. Huff, MD
Intermountain Healthcare

Kevin Hutchinson
Prematics, Inc

Elizabeth O. Johnson, RN
Tenet Health

John Klimek, RPh
National Council for Prescription Drug Programs

David McCallie, Jr, MD
Cerner Corporation

Judy Murphy, RN
Aurora Health Care

J. Marc Overhage, MD, PhD
Regenstrief Institute

Gina Perez, MPA
Delaware Health Information Network

Wes Rishel
Gartner, Inc

Sharon Terry, MA
Genetic Alliance

James Walker, MD
Geisinger Health System

Representatives from relevant federal agencies will be named separately.

Source: Health and Human Services