The Washington-based Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has appointed three members to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee. David Blumenthal, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will serve as chair, and Michael Klag, dean of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Deven McGraw, director of the Health Privacy Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, will be members.
In addition to the three individuals chosen by HHS, the HIT Policy Committee is also comprised of 13 members appointed by the Acting Comptroller General of the United States and four members appointed by the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
The Health IT Policy Committee will make recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient medical information, according to HHS. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides that the HIT Policy Committee shall at least make recommendations on standards, implementation specifications, and certifications criteria in eight specific areas.
