After Dr. David Blumenthal's announcement that he will step down this spring as national coordinator for health information technology to return to Harvard University, several of Blumenthal's fellow physicians in the medical-informatics community praised him for his accomplishments and expressed optimism that his legacy will continue.
Over the past two years, Dr. Paul Tang worked with Blumenthal as closely as anyone not on the ONC's staff. Tang served as vice chairman of the Health IT Policy Committee under Blumenthal's chairmanship. The advisory panel was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to guide the ONC on health IT policy matters. When not serving as a federal adviser, Tang works as vice president and chief medical information officer at the Palo Alto (Calif.) Medical Foundation.In an e-mail late Thursday, Tang described Blumenthal as "a superb national coordinator who accomplished an enormous amount in his two-year tenure." Blumenthal's "wise, even-handed guidance," he added, was essential in promoting a healthcare IT transformation for the country.
Dr. Peter Basch, medical director for electronic health records and health IT policy at MedStar Health, Columbia, Md., and a member of three Health IT Policy Committee work groups, said Blumenthal's prior use of electronic health-record systems in his medical practice served him well in his ONC job.
"Really, from the beginning—he was chosen as a non-IT person leading the IT strategy—I felt comfortable," Basch said. "Someone who has practiced medicine using IT was the right person. David has focused on making it real and meaningful and was not distracted by what I'd call the flashing lights."
Dr. William Bria III, chief medical information officer at the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Tampa, and president of the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems, noted the challenges Blumenthal and the ONC have faced in just the last two months.
A handful of developments in the federal health IT world—a report from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology that was somewhat critical of the ONC's sense of direction with the federal IT program, the introduction in the U.S. House of federal legislation that could strip unexpended funds from the electronic health-record system incentive program and some general grumblings about meaningful-use requirements—represent a "nibbling at the edges" of the government's health IT initiative, Bria said. And in light of those, Bria said he would have preferred "a completely stable platform of individuals and leadership at least going into the rest of this year."
Still, he said: "Do I think the things are so fragile that his leaving will have a major impact? I don't think so. He's built enough of a team and enough of a legacy, there has been enough support, including from our organization, to get this done. I remain very happy and hopeful. I think America is on a threshold of a major transformation of improving its healthcare environment."
The U.S. is "heading in the right path" in health IT in no small part thanks to Blumenthal's leadership, he said. "Certainly, whoever is following David will have large shoes to fill, but will find it easier to keep on the right path," Basch said. "There is a tremendous team now in place at ONC. Granted, there is a lot going on, but there are a lot of people with the same mission to keep that going."
Dr. Peter Basch, medical director for electronic health records and health IT policy at MedStar Health, Columbia, Md., and a member of three Health IT Policy Committee work groups, said Blumenthal's prior use of electronic health-record systems in his medical practice served him well in his ONC job.
"Really, from the beginning—he was chosen as a non-IT person leading the IT strategy—I felt comfortable," Basch said. "Someone who has practiced medicine using IT was the right person. David has focused on making it real and meaningful and was not distracted by what I'd call the flashing lights."
Dr. William Bria III, chief medical information officer at the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Tampa, and president of the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems, noted the challenges Blumenthal and the ONC have faced in just the last two months.
A handful of developments in the federal health IT world—a report from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology that was somewhat critical of the ONC's sense of direction with the federal IT program, the introduction in the U.S. House of federal legislation that could strip unexpended funds from the electronic health-record system incentive program and some general grumblings about meaningful-use requirements—represent a "nibbling at the edges" of the government's health IT initiative, Bria said. And in light of those, Bria said he would have preferred "a completely stable platform of individuals and leadership at least going into the rest of this year."
Still, he said: "Do I think the things are so fragile that his leaving will have a major impact? I don't think so. He's built enough of a team and enough of a legacy, there has been enough support, including from our organization, to get this done. I remain very happy and hopeful. I think America is on a threshold of a major transformation of improving its healthcare environment."
The U.S. is "heading in the right path" in health IT in no small part thanks to Blumenthal's leadership, he said. "Certainly, whoever is following David will have large shoes to fill, but will find it easier to keep on the right path," Basch said. "There is a tremendous team now in place at ONC. Granted, there is a lot going on, but there are a lot of people with the same mission to keep that going."
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