Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, the national coordinator for health information technology, will be relinquishing the position on August 12. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell sent an e-mail to HHS staff to announce the change.
Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, the national coordinator for health information technology (IT), will be relinquishing the position on August 12. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell sent an e-mail to HHS staff to announce the change.
During the height of the Ebola crisis, DeSalvo had been named the acting assistant secretary for health (ASH), at which time news circulated that she was leaving the position in the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). Instead, DeSalvo stayed on in her position at ONC and began taking on the duties as ASH.
“Under her leadership, ONC has advanced interoperability across the health system — which underpins progress on a wide range of Department and Administration priorities,” Burwell wrote. “She has also made significant advances to the Health Information Technology Certification Program to promote and expand the safe and secure flow of electronic health information when and where it matters most for individuals and clinicians.”
As head of ONC, DeSalvo updated the Federal Health IT Strategic plan and developed a Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap.
In a 2014 video interview with The American Journal of Managed Care, DeSalvo discussed the promise and power of health IT for monitoring chronic diseases and improving emergency preparedness.
Vindell Washington, MD, MHCM, FACEP, who was named principal deputy national coordinator at the beginning of 2016, will step in as the new national coordinator.
“In his capacity as National Coordinator, Vindell will continue to lead the Administration’s efforts to leverage health information technology to reform how we pay for and deliver care; transform health research and innovation to empower clinicians, individuals and communities to manage their health; and oversee implementation of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan and the Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap to unlock digital health data and ensure it is widely accessible, usable, and transferable throughout the public and private sectors,” Burwell wrote.
Emily Goldberg Shares Insights as a Genetic Counselor for Breast Cancer Risk Screening
October 30th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Emily Goldberg, MS, CGC, a genetic counselor at JScreen, breaks down how genetic screening for breast cancer works and why it is so important to increase awareness and education around these screening tools available to patients who may be at risk for cancer.
Listen
Provisional CDC data show that US babies gained roughly a year in life expectancy in 2022; study findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly raised the risk of preterm birth for expectant California mothers; New York Attorney General Letitia James said about 4 million New Yorkers were affected by a data breach of the medical transcription company Perry Johnson & Associates.
Read More
Examining Telehealth Uptake to Increase Equitable Care Access
January 26th 2023To mark the publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®’s 12th annual health IT issue, on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, health care economist at the RAND Corporation, who focuses on health economics issues, including the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care delivery.
Listen
Researchers Identify Potential Biomarkers for SMA Motor Improvement Following Nusinersen Treatment
November 17th 2023A retrospective, exploratory analysis identifies biomarkers predictive of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) response to nusinersen and suggests the efficacy of using machine learning algorithms to anticipate patient outcomes.
Read More