Governor Kaine Announces Creation of Health IT Advisory Commission
– Designates Department of Health as state's Health IT Lead –
RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the creation of the Health Information Technology Advisory Commission by Executive Order 95. The Commission, which will be chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marilyn Tavenner, is charged with ensuring broad stakeholder engagement and providing guidance to the Governor on the most effective use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds designated for Health Information Technology.
"Health Information Technology has the potential to both reduce costs and improve the quality of health care for all Virginians," Governor Kaine said. "This initiative will ensure that the Commonwealth remains a leader in this area by leveraging the expertise and efforts of our public and private sector partners."
The Health IT Advisory Commission will support the Commonwealth's response to federal grant opportunities, and ensure coordination across multiple related areas, including broadband and telemedicine, in order to maximize the benefits of the funding available to the state. The ARRA will distribute Health IT funds through a grant award process in two key areas:
- $598 million will be distributed nationally over a four year period to assist individuals and small group practices focused on primary care in implementing an electronic health records system. Priority will be given to medically underserved areas and to those who serve the uninsured or underinsured.
- $564 million will be distributed nationally to promote Health Information Exchange (HIE) across the health care system through the use of certified electronic health records. Funding will support state programs to promote EHRs with the goal of improved coordination, efficiency and quality of care.
The Executive Order also designates the Virginia Department of Health as the lead agency for Health IT in the Commonwealth, and the Department has established an Office of Health IT in order to carry out this assignment. The Office will staff the Health IT Advisory Commission, provide guidance to the Governor on Health IT issues, and ensure that the efforts of the Commission are aligned with other Health IT initiatives in the Commonwealth.
The Commission will enlist a broad range of stakeholders including physicians, HIE and privacy experts and hospital and insurance executives. Committee members will include:
- Marilyn B. Tavenner, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia
- Mr. Steven "Steve" Harms, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor of Virginia
- Ms. Karen Jackson, Deputy Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia
- Mr. John McDonald, Deputy Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia
- Mr. Christopher Bailey, Senior Vice President, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association and Chief Information Officer
- Mr. Eric Barber, Chief Operating Officer, Danville Regional Medical Center
- Mr. Daniel Barchi, Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Carilion Clinic; President, Carilion Biomedical Institute
- Mr. Geoffrey "Geoff" Brown, Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Inova Health System
- Dr. C. Donald Combs, Vice Provost for Planning and Health Professions, Eastern Virginia Medical School
- Ms. Laura J. Dickerson, Regional Vice President for Business Solutions, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Dr. Alistair Erskine, Chief Medical Information Officer, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
- Mr. Patrick "Pat" Finnerty, Director, Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services
- Dr. William Hazel, Jr., Orthopaedic Surgeon, Commonwealth Orthopaedics; Member of the Board of Trustees for the American Medical Association
- Ms. Liesa Jenkins, Executive Director, CareSpark
- Ms. Aryana Khalid, Health and Education Legislative Assistant to Senator Mark Warner
- Mr. Michael Matthews, CEO, MedVirginia; Advisor to the Governor's Office of Health Information Technology
- Ms. Susan Motley, CEO, Virginia Nurses Association
- Ms. Deborah D. Oswalt, Executive Director, Virginia Health Care Foundation
- Ms. Cathy P. Pumphrey, Director of Planning and Information Management for the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board
- Ms. Terri M. Ripley, Director of Systems and Programming, Centra Health
- Dr. Marshall Ruffin, Chief Technology and Health Information Officer, University of Virginia Health System
- Mr. David Selig, Chief Executive Officer, Community Care Network of Virginia
- Ms. Anna Slomovic, Chief Privacy Officer, Anakam, Inc.
- Dr. Robert M. Wah, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Computer Sciences Corporation
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