Dive Brief:
- Judy Murphy has announced she will leave her post as chief nursing officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on October 17. Murphy held various roles including director of clinical quality and safety and deputy national coordinator for programs and policy. She will be moving to the position of chief nursing officer at IBM Healthcare Global Business Services.
- Murphy has been at the ONC since late 2011. Programs she helped lead included building Regional Extension Centers, Meaningful Use Vanguard, Health IT Fellows and the creation of the Office of Consumer eHealth. Before joining the ONC, Murphy worked at Wisconsin's Aurora Health Care in health informatics.
- The ONC has seen a number of departures this past year including chief scientist Doug Fridsma, chief privacy officer Joy Pritts and consumerista Lygeia Ricciardi. A replacement for Murphy's position has not yet been named.
Dive Insight:
It is not unexpected for turnover to occur after the implementation of major projects like meaningful use. Much of the ONC staff is moving to the private sector where salaries are much higher. Jon White from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be working at the ONC on a part-time basis until some of the positions are filled. White will be acting medical officer, reporting to Deputy National Coordinator Jacob Reider. White heads up AHRQ's Health IT portfolio.