The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell named eight new members of the Health Information Technology Standards Committee (HITSC) and one new member to the Health IT Policy Committee (HITPC).
The two federal advisory committees were created through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The committees provide the opportunity for both stakeholders and the public to provide direct input to HHS regarding the implementation and use of health IT. Both committees are supported by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
Aaron Miri, chief information officer & vice president of government relations at Imprivata will serve on the Health IT Policy Committee as the privacy and security representative.
For the Health IT Standards Committee, the new members are:
Rajesh Dash, M.D., professor of pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, ancillary healthcare worker representative
Kay Eron, general manager, heath IT and medical Devices at Intel, purchaser/employer representative
Peter Johnson, retired chief information officer, technical expertise representative.
Kyle Meadors, president of the Drummond Group, technical expertise, HIT representative
Terrence O’Malley, M.D., geriatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital, technical expertise, long-term care representative
Andrey Ostrovsky, M.D., chief executive officer/co-founder, Care at Hand, technical expertise, small innovative provider representative
Wanmei Ou, director of product strategy in precision medicine at Oracle, technical expertise, HIT representative
Larry Wolf, principal of the Strategic Health Network, technical expertise representative
The HITSC is charged with recommending standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information. The HITPC is charged with recommending policies for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology (health IT) infrastructure, including standards for the exchange and use of health information.
Three members of the HITPC are appointed by the HHS Secretary, four members are appointed by Congress, 13 members are appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States and other federal members are appointed by the President. Members of the HITSC are appointed by the HHS Secretary, with input from the National Coordinator.
