GAO Makes New Appointments to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following news release:

Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of five new members to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC).

"Widespread access, exchange, and use of electronic health information has great potential, but has been challenging to achieve," Dodaro said. "I am confident these new appointees will make valuable contributions to the committee, as it continues to advise the federal government on how to best implement the great potential of electronic health information."

The newly appointed members are Lee Fleisher, Katrina Parrish, Randa Perkins, Rochelle Prosser, and Mark Sendak. Each is appointed for a three-year term and may be reappointed for a subsequent three-year term. Brief biographies are below.

The 21st Century Cures Act, enacted in December 2016, established HITAC and gave the Comptroller General responsibility for appointing at least 14 of the members. In addition, 11 members are appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate, and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. The committee provides recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria relating to the implementation of a health information technology infrastructure that advances the electronic access, exchange, and use of health information.

For more information, please visit the HITAC website. Other calls should be directed to Chuck Young in GAO's Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800.

The new appointees are:

Lee Fleisher, MD, is Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and a practicing anesthesiologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He conducts research focused on improving health services, with a focus on quality of care. He previously served as the Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and as the Director of CMS's Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, where he oversaw the development of the National Quality Strategy and of electronic quality measures, which rely on electronic health records or other health information technology systems. At CMS his responsibilities also included leadership for national clinical, quality, and safety standards for health care facilities and providers. He serves as a Senior Advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center and Visiting Fellow at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. In addition, he is a Senior Advisor for the Milken Institute's FasterCures, a nonprofit center to improve health research and development to deliver better treatments to people who need them. Dr. Fleisher received his Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Katrina Parrish, MD, FAAFP, is Physician Director of Clinical Informatics at Humana Health Insurance. She is also the co-chair of the Data and Research Committee of the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit, multi-stakeholder research and policy organization focused on improving the Medicaid program. She previously served as the Chief Quality and Information Executive at L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation's largest publicly operated health plan, and as Medical Director of Clinical Information Systems at Adventist Health, West. Dr. Parrish received her Doctor of Medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Randa Perkins, MD, MBA, FAMIA, is Chief Medical Information Officer and Senior Director for Clinical Informatics at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. Her work focuses on the application of information technology to improve clinical care, including usability, and research on health information technology implementation science. She is also a practicing family medicine physician in the center's Department of Internal Medicine. In addition, she is an Assistant Professor and the Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program Director for the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. Dr. Perkins received her Doctor of Medicine from Florida State University and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Rochelle Prosser, RN, CLNC, served as a caregiver for her daughter and husband, both cancer survivors. As a result of challenges experienced in helping them to navigate the health care system and their oncology treatment options, she established Orchid Healthcare Solutions to assist patients and their families, as well as clinicians, with information and guidance about oncology treatment options and support services. Previously, Ms. Prosser served in a variety of roles within the health care industry, including as a clinical program director with a cardiology managed care organization, as a nurse analyst helping clinicians transition to electronic health records, and as a neurotrauma nurse. She participates on the Communications Patient and Family Advisory Council for the University of Miami Health System; participates in CancerX, a public-private initiative; and supports fundraising and community engagement activities for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where her daughter received treatment. She received her nursing diploma from George Brown College in Toronto, Canada.

Mark Sendak, MD, MPP, is the Population Health and Data Science Lead at the Duke Institute for Health Innovation, where he leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative care models and technologies in clinical practice. His work has included over 20 artificial intelligence (AI) models used in both inpatient and outpatient practice settings, technologies to improve chronic disease management for accountable care organizations, and a COVID-19 symptom monitoring platform to support community health workers and small businesses. Dr. Sendak also serves as a board member for the annual Machine Learning in Health Care conference, and he is a founding member of the Health AI Partnership, established to empower healthcare professionals to use AI effectively, safely, and equitably. He studied mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and received his Doctor of Medicine and his Master of Public Policy from Duke University.

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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/press-release/gao-makes-new-appointments-health-information-technology-advisory-committee-0