GAO names Health IT panel members

The Government Accountability Office said today it has named 13 members to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, a new advisory group established by the economic stimulus law. The panel would make policy recommendations for the development and adoption of a nationwide health IT infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient data, said Gene Dodaro, acting comptroller general and GAO head.

“Electronic sharing of information has the potential to improve the quality of health care in the United States,” he said.

The stimulus law directed the comptroller general to appoint 13 members to the committee for three year terms, although the members first appointed have staggered terms of service. An additional seven members will be appointed by the Health and Human Services secretary, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the speaker and minority leader of the House, according to the law.

GAO appointed individuals to represent among them the categories of consumers, health care providers, labor organizations, health information privacy and security experts, population health, the research community, health plans, IT vendors, employers and health care quality experts. They are:

• Christine Bechtel, vice president, National Partnership for Woman and Families.
• Arthur Davidson, director, Public Health Informatics, Denver Public Health Department; director, Denver Center for Public Health Preparedness; medical epidemiologist; director, HIV/AIDS Surveillance, City and County of Denver.
  
• Adam Clark, research and policy director, Lance Armstrong Foundation.
• Marc Probst, chief information officer, Intermountain Healthcare.
• Paul Tang, vice president and chief medical information officer, Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
• Scott White, assistant director, technology project director, 1199 SEIU Training and Employment Fund.
• LaTanya Sweeney, director, Data Privacy Lab, Carnegie Mellon University.
• Neil Calman, president and chief executive officer, Institute for Family Health.
• Connie Delaney, dean, University of Minnesota School of Nursing.
• Charles Kennedy, vice president, Health Information Technology, Wellpoint.
• Judith Faulkner, founder, CEO, president and chairman of board, Epic Systems.
• David Lansky, president and CEO, Pacific Business Group on Health.
• David Bates, medical director for clinical and quality analysis, Partners HealthCare/Brigham and Women’s Hospital.