Michael Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is among the individuals named by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to its 2007 Advocacy Awards winners list.
Leavitt was recognized for directing the nation's efforts to protect the health of Americans and providing human services to those in need.
The other winners are: ·
· U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), described by HIMSS as the Senate's "go to" person when it comes to healthcare and prescription drugs.
· Senator Olympia Snowe (D-WA), the fourth woman elected to both houses of Congress and the first woman to serve in both houses of a state legislature and both houses of Congress.
· Commonwealth of Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra, who according to HIMSS leads the Commonwealth's strategy to leverage technology in government reform and fosters technology-related economic development.
· CoColorado State Senator Bob Hagedorn (D), who has served on interim committees that examined the need for accessible and affordable healthcare throughout the state.
For the first time, HIMSS also included a statewide award to the state of Michigan. More than nine regionally-based health information exchanges (HIE) have started up across the state and are preparing to compete for 2007 grants.
