ONC Names First Chief Health Information Officer

Michael James McCoy, MD, will be joining the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as its first chief health information officer, effective January 26, 2015, and will report directly to Karen DeSalvo, MD. In this new role, McCoy will lead development of ONC clinical policy for standards and regulatory matters to help ensure ONC initiatives improve health beyond health care. He will also be the lead clinical subject matter expert on interoperability.

McCoy is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist who practiced clinically for more than 20 years, and has over a decade of experience in HIT, with special interests in interoperability, user experience, and person-centered care. His background includes leadership roles in nearly all facets of the HIT domain—from use in small physician offices to large national health delivery systems, IT development, and standards development organizations.

McCoy has been involved with standards development for well over a decade, including Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Patient Care Coordination domain, and the IHE International Board of Directors. He has represented the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as its HIT strategist in multiple SDO forums, worked with the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology as cochair of the Women's Health Work Group, and participated on the Child Health Expert Panel and the Ambulatory Work Group.

Source: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology