Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

In Briefing with Trade Press, Dr. Vindell Washington Affirms ONC’s Data Sharing Priorities

Healthcare Informatics: During a small gathering with health IT trade press on Sept. 19, Vindell Washington, M.D., newly-appointed National Coordinator for Health IT, reiterated the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC) overarching goal to improve healthcare interoperability through a variety of initiatives.

Dr. Washington, who previously served as the president of the Baton Rouge, La.-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) Medical Group and as the health system’s CMIO, and who just recently took over for Karen DeSalvo, M.D., as National Coordinator for Health IT, spoke for the first time to about a dozen members of the trade press, some in person in Washington, D.C., and others via teleconferencing. While Washington answered a myriad of questions covering various health IT issues, the main takeaway from the session was that most of the federal agency’s core goals are centered around improving health information sharing across the care continuum.

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