Seven new healthcare leaders from diverse industry backgrounds will join the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee, the federal group that works to implement health IT infrastructure that enhances health and safety. access, exchange, and use of electronic health information in the U.S. health care system.
WHY IT IMPORTANT
Created under the 21st Century Cures Act, HITAC and its subcommittees provide recommendations to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, and specifications. implementation techniques and certification criteria.
The new members, appointed by the Office of Government Accountability, have served health care in both the public and private sectors at institutions across the United States.
Dr. Kikelomo Belizaire, chief medical officer at Pegasystems, is also a hospital physician practicing in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. She previously served as the medical director of Anthem’s commercial unit and as a physician treating highly acute patients in several North and South Carolina hospital systems, as well as a healthcare consultant. strong.
Dr. Shila Blend is the health information technology director of the North Dakota Health Information Network, a statewide HIE. She also serves as a subject matter expert of the Rural Emergency Medical Services Quantity project, which is working to develop quality measures for emergency medical services in rural areas. She previously served the state in a number of preparation and coordination roles, including as deputy chief of staff for COVID-19 response.
Dr. Hannah Galvin is the director of health information for Cambridge Health Alliance, an academic public safety net health system, where she leads clinical informatics and practice as a pediatrician. She is co-chair of the board of Shift, an independent task force focused on enabling patients to manage how their health data is shared to promote fair interoperability. Previously, Galvin was medical director of informatics at Lahey Health and cared for vulnerable and underserved populations in hospitals in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
Dr. Bryant Thomas Karras, director of health informatics and senior epidemiologist at the Washington State Department of Health, directs the informatics and HIE efforts. He has spearheaded the state’s healthcare initiatives, including efforts to increase adoption of health information technology, early detection of disease outbreaks, etc. Karras served as an internist at several hospitals in Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Anna McColister is a patient advocate, entrepreneur, and advisor on various health technology, data usage and healthcare quality initiatives. McColister has served on a number of national committees, including the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee focusing on endocrine and metabolic drugs and on the National Quality Forum committee on Quality measures for primary care and chronic disease. She is also a key advocate for participatory research at the Scripps Institute of Translational Science.
Deven McGraw is the data management and data sharing leader at Invitae Corp., a medical genetics company. She co-founded and is the CEO of Ciitizen, a health technology company acquired by Invitae that allows patients to collect, manage, and share their medical information. Her previous experience includes serving as deputy director for health information privacy in the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, as chief privacy officer for ONC, and is a partner of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
Dr. Naresh Sundar Rajan is chief data officer at CyncHealth, formerly known as the Nebraska Health Information Initiative, where he leads HIE data and modernization initiatives. He also supports the Standards Organization for Prescription Tracking Information Exchange and health-related research with large and underserved rural communities in the states of the Great Plains. Previously, he worked for the state of Wyoming on analytics to share information about prescriber practices and for the state’s violence and injury prevention program.
TREND TO BIGGER WOMAN
The Cure Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to appoint three members to HITAC, including an HHS representative and a public health official. The U.S. Comptroller General, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, and the speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives appoint the remaining members.
ONC first opened applications for HITAC in 2017, calling for diverse applicants to reflect the perspectives of healthcare providers, ancillary healthcare workers, consumers, buyers, payers, IT developers and others.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Micky Tripathi oversaw key provisions of the Cures Act 2022. From the outset, he cited information interception, API standardization, and the Exchange Framework. Credibility as well as General Agreement are transforming factors for healthcare interoperability.
“The Cures Act vision will become a reality and allow us to begin to harness the full potential that a true digital healthcare system can do to improve patients’ lives.” , Tripathi wrote in the magazine. health issues at the beginning of the year.
ON PROFILE
“HITAC is comprised of individuals committed to improving the electronic access, exchange, and use of health information,” said Gene L. Dodaro, U.S. comptroller general and head of the GAO, in a statement. announced the new members of HITAC.
“Every year, many outstanding candidates express their desire to serve on the committee. Today, I am pleased to announce this latest appointment of people who I believe will make outstanding contributions. “
Andrea Fox is the senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS.
