NQF announces advisory committee members

Physicians, information technology experts, consumers and quality advocates are among the groups represented on the National Quality Forum's 25-member Health Information Technology Advisory Committee announced May 10. The committee will provide feedback to the NQF and help to steer its health IT portfolio and upcoming programs, according to a news release.

The NQF put out a call for nominations earlier this year and said the committee would build on the work of the Health Information Technology Expert Panel, a committee formed in 2007 to identify high-priority quality measures and evaluate electronic performance data.

Specifically, the new committee's responsibilities will include developing a strategic health IT plan for the NQF and analyzing electronic specifications for NQF-endorsed standards.

The committee will be led by Paul Tang, vice president and chief medical information officer of the Palo Alto (Calif.) Medical Foundation. Tang has served on many other IT panels including the government's Health IT Policy Committee. Other members include Becky Cherney, president and CEO of the Florida Health Care Coalition, Orlando, and Deborah Reid, senior attorney with the Washington-based National Health Law Program.

Current members will serve three-year terms, and future members will serve one-, two- or three-year terms, according to the NQF.