David Blumenthal, MD, HHS' national coordinator for health information technology, was one of three men appointed today by HHS to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, an advisory panel that meets for the first time on Monday in Washington, DC.
Joining Blumenthal as HHS selections to the committee are: Michael J. Klag, MD, dean of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Deven C. McGraw, director of the Health Privacy Project, at the Center for Democracy & Technology. A list of the policy committee members named so far and the May 11 agenda can be found at http://healthit.hhs.gov .
The HIT Policy Committee will make recommendations to Blumenthal's office on a policy framework for the development and adoption of nationwide interoperable HIT, including security standards for patient medical information.
Also Friday, HHS released the names of members of the HIT Standards Committee, which, like the policy committee, was established under the stimulus bill. The committee will also make recommendations to Blumenthal's office on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information. Their first meeting is May 15.
Thirteen members were appointed by the acting comptroller general of the United States. Four members appointed by the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the speaker and minority leader of the House. President Barack Obama's appointees from federal agencies will be announced before the committee’s second meeting in June.
Standards Committee members appointed so far are:
- Jonathan Perlin, MD, Chair, Healthcare Corporation of America
- John Halamka, MD, Co-Chair, Harvard Medical School
- Dixie Baker, Science Applications International Corporation
- Anne Castro, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
- Christopher Chute, MD, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
- Janet Corrigan, National Quality Forum
- John Derr, Golden Living, LLC
- Linda Dillman, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
- James Ferguson, Kaiser Permanente
- Steven Findlay, Consumers Union
- Douglas Fridsma, MD, Arizona Biomedical Collaborative
- C. Martin Harris, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Stanley M. Huff, MD, Intermountain Healthcare
- Kevin Hutchinson, Prematics, Inc.
- Elizabeth O. Johnson, RN, Tenet Health
- John Klimek, National Council for Prescription Drug Programs
- David McCallie, Jr., MD, Cerner Corporation
- Judy Murphy, RN, Aurora Health Care
- J. Marc Overhage, MD, Regenstrief Institute
- Gina Perez, Delaware Health Information Network
- Wes Rishel, Gartner, Inc.
- Sharon Terry, Genetic Alliance
- James Walker, MD, Geisinger Health System