Dr. Karen DeSalvo (@KBDeSalvo), the Health Commissioner for New Orleans, who helped rebuild the city’s health system following Hurricane Katrina, has been named the new National Coordinator. The healthcare technology news development came from the Department of Health and Human Services.
A statement from Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said:
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“Dr. DeSalvo’s hands-on experience with health delivery system reform and HIT and its potential to improve health care and public health will be invaluable assets to the Office of the National Coordinator and the Department. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Jacob Reider, the Acting National Coordinator for his leadership of ONC during this time of transition. I am pleased she [DeSalvo] is joining our committed team, and ask you to join me in welcoming her to HHS when she starts on Monday, January 13th.”
She succeeds Dr. Farzad Mostashari who stepped down from the role in the fall. Dr. Reider has been filling in as acting head of the ONC.
One much repeated lesson from Katrina was the importance of electronic health records to retain patients’ medical history as the storm decimated so many hospital records.
Governing magazine named her one of nine top public officials this year. Its entry for DeSalvo said:
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At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
“In the continued wake of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. DeSalvo has transformed New Orleans’ health department from one of the worst in the country– focused on clinical care and responding to illness — into a national model that’s focused on wellness and community health.”
Prior to becoming Health Commissioner, DeSalvo was Vice Dean of Community Affairs and Health Policy at Tulane Medical School.
DeSalvo has had three predecessors.
Dr. Mostashari had the distinct advantage of working in the Office of the National Coordinator for more than one year before becoming National Coordinator. Before that, he was an assistant commissioner for New York’s Department of Health.
Dr. Robert Kolodner was the Chief Health Informatics Officer for the Veterans Health Administration. He was chief adviser to the VA’s Under Secretary for Health on IT issues and oversaw the development of the VA’s electronic health record, VistA before he became the national coordinator.
Dr David Blumenthal was a physician and director of the Institute for Health Policy at The Massachusetts General Hospital/Partners HealthCare System in Boston.
I think DeSalvo has commanded a lot of respect for helping transform New Orleans’ health system. On the other hand, rebuilding one city’s health system is a lot different from what she faces in her new role. One of her biggest responsibilities will be overseeing the Meaningful Use program to help healthcare facilities shift over to and upgrade electronic medical records. It will be interesting to see how DeSalvo meets the challenge.
