Dive Brief:
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Genevieve Morris has been named as principal deputy national coordinator for health information technology at the HHS' Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.
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Morris was senior director of health IT policy for Audacious Inquiry, a health IT company. She “led strategic policy for the company and managed government affairs," reported Modern Healthcare.
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She also previously worked on ONC’s Health IT Certification Program and developed the Health IT Framework for Alternative Payment Models, according to HealthIT.gov.
Dive Insight:
The appointment is ONC’s third political appointment by President Donald Trump’s administration. The previous appointments were Donald Rucker as the ONC's head and former Louisiana Rep. John Fleming as deputy assistant for health technology reform.
On her biography page on HealthIT.gov, Morris is described as a “subject matter expert in health IT policy, program management, interoperability, Meaningful Use (MU), and the Quality Payment Program." She previously worked with ONC on policy, standards, technology, and grant programs. Morris also “supported the development of the Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap, including writing and editing portions of the roadmap. This important document provides guidance to all health IT stakeholders on the actions that must be taken in order to achieve a truly interoperable learning health system,” according to Morris’ bio.
ONC's future was temporarily uncertain after President Donald Trump's budget left it out and Fleming told Politico that, “They may be reorganizing.” But the office has helped the hospital industry with the adoption of EHR systems and its work to improve interoperability could help clinicians improve on key health outcomes as the push toward value-based care continues.