Opinion: Why is healthcare IT under fire?

It's been a rough year for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT – and it's unclear when things will get better. On Oct. 23, the Department of Health and Human Services tapped ONC head Dr. Karen DeSalvo as acting assistant secretary for health, primarily to lead its Ebola response team. DeSalvo rose to national prominence helping reshape healthcare in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. She's expected to bring valuable (and needed) disaster response know-how to HHS. However, DeSalvo's departure prompted Deputy National Coordinator Dr. Jacob Reider to resign as well.