The world of public sector healthcare leaders is a unique one. Whether they’re shrouded in controversy or known for their peculiar fashion sense, they’re always working towards the always-noble mission of improving healthcare.
So, when Farzad Mostashari announced he’d step down as head of the Office of the National Coordinator last September, predictions regarding his successor and what awaited her/him were published almost hourly.
And when news broke that Karen DeSalvo, MD, would succeed him, the hot seat awaited her. After all, the head of the ONC carries quite a bit of weight around this country. She hasn’t disappointed us. With DeSalvo, we have quite a bit of background to bite into.
To commemorate her first week on the job, here’s a little bit more about DeSalvo and what the future of the ONC looks like.
DeSalvo knows a thing or two about accessibility. HHS head Kathleen Sebelius said it during the press release announcing DeSalvo’s appointment: she likes telehealth and patient portals, and will work to advance them.
Perhaps more interestingly, however, is the Greater New Orleans Health Connection Program she helped implement during her tenure as New Orleans Health Commissioner. The program helped residents – especially those still reeling from Hurricane Katrina – obtain Medicaid waivers and access to primary care physicians.
She even founded 504HealthNet, a consortium of safety net providers focusing on uninsured low-income populations.
DeSalvo’s REC romance. During her time in New Orleans, DeSalvo also served as President of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (LHCQF), which made her the state’s head for pursuing regional extension center (REC) grants. Her expertise on the matter received praise from HIMSS EVP Carla Smith.
RECs have helped EHR adoption, of course. As of July 2013, over 147,000 providers were enrolled with an REC. 85% of these providers are live on an EHR, which can only be said for 62% of the general provider population.
DeSalvo has tangoed with health IT before. As president of the LHCQF, she was also in charge of leading health information exchange efforts in Louisiana. Not surprisingly, she also led projects in New Orleans that utilized health IT to create more effective medical homes for patients in the city.
Both endeavors, of course, rely on seamless software interoperability so providers can transfer patient information to each other without delays, so we can expect quite a bit from DeSalvo on what’s become one of health IT’s most complex conflicts.
What do you think about DeSalvo? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.
See why CareCloud Charts is the easiest to use EHR on the market by contacting us at 1-877-342-7517 or hello@carecloud.com.
A version of this article was originally published on our sister site, Power Your Practice. Click here to read the original story.
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