Karen DeSalvo to leave ONC, but will stay at HHS

Dr. Karen DeSalvo, who had been wearing two hats at HHS, last week stepped down from her role as the nation's top health information technology official. Dr. Vindell Washington, the agency's principal deputy national coordinator, took over as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

DeSalvo will remain at HHS as acting assistant secretary for health. She's held that role since October 2014 when she was asked to lead the federal response to the Ebola virus.

DeSalvo came to the ONC post in 2014 after serving as health commissioner of New Orleans. She brought an extensive background in and an affinity for public health.

Both were of service as the ONC transitioned from an agency whose principal task had been to oversee the healthcare industry's adoption of electronic health records to one promoting the interoperability of networks to support population health management under value-based payment models.

She left the ONC without full nationwide EHR interoperability having been achieved, but with significant advancements having been made.

DeSalvo's successor has helped develop the Precision Medicine initiative and programs aimed at reforming the way the country's healthcare is paid for and delivered.

In his capacity as national coordinator, Washington will oversee implementation of both the strategic plan and an interoperability road map “to unlock digital health data and ensure it is widely accessible, usable, and transferable throughout the public and private sectors,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.