Dr. Donald Rucker has been named head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Rucker is currently an adjunct professor in the biomedical informatics department at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Previously, he was chief medical officer for Siemens.
Before joining Siemens, Rucker was an emergency department physician and, earlier, at Datamedic, one of the developers of the first Windows-based electronic health record.
The health IT industry has eagerly awaited the ONC's new coordinator since Dr. Vindell Washington left the post in January, a month after Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act. The legislation has far-reaching health IT implications, particularly when it comes to interoperability and so-called “information blocking.”
Rucker's appointment comes on the heels of the news that former Louisiana congressman Dr. John Fleming will serve as deputy assistant secretary for health technology, a new position within HHS. HHS was not immediately available for comment.
