August 6, 2013
Statement from Carla Smith, Executive Vice President, HIMSS
CHICAGO– We all learned today that Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health IT, will step down from public service in the Fall. HIMSS has been privileged to work with Dr. Mostashari as he passionately led the government’s collaborations with the healthcare community, ensuring that health IT is truly the foundation of healthcare transformation.
Dr. Mostashari has long been committed to the value of health IT. At the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, he set a benchmark for how EHRs should be leveraged for public health and population health management, leading to the Department’s Public Health Information Project being awarded the prestigious HIMSS Davies Public Health Award of Excellence in 2011. Dr. Mostashari himself was presented with the 2011 HIMSS Federal Leadership Award during National Health IT Week, and, thanks to his enthusiastic vision of our nation’s future health system, Dr. Mostashari routinely drew large audiences to his speeches at HIMSS events.
HIMSS appreciates Dr. Mostashari’s remarkable achievements as National Coordinator for Health IT and beyond. Thanks to his energetic leadership, patient care is improving as providers and hospitals are implementing health IT, efficient information exchange is leading to better care coordination, and consumers are engaging as partners in their own health. We wish Farzad success as he enters the next phase of his career, and look forward to working with ONC to continue his vision.