HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced the appointment of Robert M. Kolodner, M.D., to head the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) at HHS. Dr. Kolodner has been serving as the Interim National Coordinator for Health IT since Sept. 20, 2006.

"Rob's experience, dedication, and enthusiasm have been evident in his work at the Veterans Health Administration and here at HHS since September," Secretary Leavitt said. "I appreciate his ongoing commitment to advance the use of health IT to improve the safety, efficiency, and value of health care for consumers and to increase their ability to manage their health, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him."

Dr. Kolodner joined HHS from the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA), where he was Chief Health Informatics Officer. In that role, he was chief advisor to the VA's Under Secretary for Health on information technology issues and oversaw the development of the VA's renowned electronic healthrecord, VistA. Dr. Kolodner's long-standing interest in computers and his training as a psychiatrist led to his early involvement with VA's efforts to use automation in support of mental health care and subsequently his leadership in coordinating clinical record access across al clinical disciplines.
As National Coordinator for Health IT at HHS, Dr. Kolodner will serve as principal advisor to Secretary Leavitt on all health IT initiatives. He will also continue to develop, maintain, and direct the implementation of the strategic plan to guide nationwide adoption of interoperable health IT to reduce medical errors, improve quality, and produce greater value in health care.

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