Mostashari Steps Down From Top Federal Health IT Post
Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology, announced Tuesday he will step down this fall.
Politico: Top Health IT Official Leaving HHS
A key player in driving the nation's health IT policy announced Tuesday that he plans to leave the Obama administration this fall. Dr. Farzad Mostashari, national coordinator for health information technology, told colleagues in a wistful, 750-word email that he's leaving the administration after four years at HHS. He offered no explanation and no plans for his future. An agency spokesman said no decision has been made yet about who might succeed him in the job (Cheney, 8/6).
Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Farzad Mostashari To Leave Federal Health IT Office
The charismatic head of health information technology at the Department of Health and Human Services will step down this fall. In an e-mail to staff, Dr. Farzad Mostashari didn't divulge why he was departing after serving for two years in that position and four years at the agency (Stawicki, 8/6).
The Hill: Federal Health IT Chief Steps Down
The Obama administration's coordinator for health information technology announced Tuesday that he will leave his position, creating an important vacancy as the health care system embraces digital record keeping. Dr. Farzad Mostashari, a former New York City public health official, told colleagues Tuesday that he will resign from the Department of Health and Human Services after four years (Viebeck, 8/6).
CQ HealthBeat: Mostashari Leaving This Fall As Health IT Coordinator
Farzad Mostashari, the Obama administration's driving force behind the move to convince providers to adopt electronic medical records, is stepping down as National Coordinator for Health Information Technology this fall. Mostashari will continue to serve in his post during the search for his successor, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an email message Tuesday to agency staff. He has been the national coordinator for the past two years (Reichard, 8/6).
Modern Healthcare: Mostashari To Step Down; Health IT Leaders Hail ONC Chief's Efforts
Dr. Farzad Mostashari will step down this fall as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS, where he's had a big hand in guiding federal health IT policy for the past four years, including the challenging rollout of meaningful-use rules for electronic health-record systems. The announcement came in an e-mail to staff from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (Conn, 8/6).
In addition, the Obama administration's ex-Medicare chief offers the U.K. some advice --
Bloomberg: Obama's Ex-Medicare Head Tells U.K. How To Fix The NHS
The U.K. should resist relying too heavily on targets or taking criminal action against workers to address shortcomings in its National Health Service, a panel headed by former U.S. Medicare chief Don Berwick said today. The 17-member National Advisory Group, which U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron directed the Harvard-trained doctor to assemble after a probe found "appalling" care in a local health system, said the NHS should recognize that it needs "wide systemic change" to make patient safety a top priority (Gerlin, 8/6).
