Radiologist Thomas Keane, M.D., M.B.A., to Lead ASTP/ONC
Radiologist Thomas Keane, M.D., M.B.A., has been named the second Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and ninth National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, following Micky Tripathi, who is now overseeing artificial intelligence at Mayo Clinic.
An engineer and physician, Keane previously served in ASTP and also as a senior advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Health & Human Services. Among other duties, he was an administrator of the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and led the development of the AHRQ National Nursing Home COVID Action Network.
The profile on the ASTP web page says Keane worked as a “finite element software developer and enterprise software engineer” prior to training as an interventional radiologist.
His LinkedIn bio says he was CEO of Radiology Associates of Southeastern Ohio from 2009 to 2014.
The EHR Association released a statement from Leigh Burchell of Altera Digital Health and chair of the EHR Association Executive Committee:
“The EHR Association congratulates Dr. Thomas Keane on his appointment as Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy at HHS and National Coordinator for Health IT. Dr. Keane brings important expertise in health policy to the role. We’re pleased that his selection reflects HHS’ commitment to putting leadership in place that both recognizes the criticality of the ‘coordinator’ responsibilities and understands from prior experience the many complex use cases related to health data interoperability that the agency is tasked with supporting. We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Keane and ASTP to further the digitization of healthcare and explore regulatory refinements.”
CMS and ASTP/ONC recently put out a Request for Information (RFI) with a series of questions that may signal what they plan to emphasize in the next few years. The RFI focuses on the market of digital health products for Medicare beneficiaries as well as the state of data interoperability and broader health technology infrastructure.
CMS and ASTP/ONC says that there are opportunities to better align technology requirements with the needs of providers participating in alternative payment models (APMs) and other value-based care programs. One of the areas they are asking about involves how certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT) requirements can enable value-based care and meet statutory requirements while meeting other program objectives.
