The Deval Patrick, Tim Murray Administration announced Laurance Stuntz, senior vice president at NaviNet (Boston, Mass.), as the new director of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI). MeHI, which received $24 million in federal Recovery Act funding, has been asked to develop the Massachusetts Regional Extension Center and initiate a statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).
Stuntz succeeds MeHI Director Rick Shoup, who will serve as MeHI’s Chief Technology Officer.
“Controlling health care costs and adopting innovative technologies is critical to the future of health care reform in Massachusetts,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby said in a statement. “Under the leadership of Laurance Stuntz, MeHI will continue to help the Patrick-Murray Administration lead the way on transitioning to electronic health technology, reducing costs and improving care for patients.”
MeHI says Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to reach its enrollment goal of 2,500 health care providers to adopt the use of electronic health records. Additionally, it has partnered with MassHealth to administer key components of the Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Payment Program.
“I am very excited and truly honored to be asked to lead the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at a time in its history when we have a chance to leverage the significantly increasing usage of electronic health records, the growing maturity of health information exchange standards and the core HIE infrastructure being installed by the Commonwealth,” Stuntz said in a statement.
Before NaviNet, where was responsible for product development and solution architecture, he served as partner at CSC Healthcare Group, and helped create the CSC Collaborative Communities practice, which focused on developing solutions that allow health care providers and payers to efficiently exchange information.
