• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

National Coordinator for Health IT and VA Under Secretary for Health to Join National Quality Forum Board of Directors

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 15:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Quality Forum (NQF) today announced that David J. Brailer, MD, PhD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, representing the Veterans Health Administration, have been named to NQF's Board of Directors.

Brailer, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' national health information expert, brings to the Board the perspectives of the health information technology (IT) sector. Perlin, the Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), brings the perspectives of the nation's largest integrated healthcare system as CEO of the VHA.

"I am pleased that two individuals of such stature have agreed to lend their valuable time and considerable expertise to NQF's Board," said Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer of NQF. "David's fundamental understanding of the way health IT can be a critical enabler to healthcare quality improvement will bolster NQF's vision of integrating performance measurement into electronic health records. Jonathan's grasp of healthcare quality is formidable, including his knowledge of the role of performance measurement and public reporting."

Brailer was appointed the first National Health Information Technology Coordinator on May 6, 2004. His duties as National Coordinator are to execute President Bush's order to deploy health information technology (IT) within 10 years to help realize substantial improvements in safety and efficiency. Brailer is recognized as a leader in the strategy and financing of quality and efficiency in health care, with a particular emphasis on health information technology and health systems management.

Prior to his appointment, Brailer was a Senior Fellow at the Health Technology Center in San Francisco, CA, a not-for-profit research and education organization that provides strategic information and resources to healthcare organizations about the future impact of technology in healthcare delivery. He also served for 10 years as Chairman and CEO of CareScience, Inc., a provider of care management services and internet-based solutions that help reduce medical errors and improve physician and hospital-based performance. He holds doctoral degrees in both medicine and economics, and, until recently, was active in patient care delivery with an emphasis on immune deficiency.

Brailer joins the NQF Board in a liaison role representing its Technology Section, which seeks to promote the integration of technology in NQF projects, consensus measure sets, and other activities. The Technology Section provides a forum for discussion and networking by technology organizations; addresses issues of interest to technology companies to facilitate the integration of technology in healthcare quality improvement activities; and assumes an active role in NQF membership and on the Board of Directors.

"Quality improvement and health IT strategies need to be closely aligned, and I look forward to working with NQF to do this," Brailer said.

Perlin was nominated to serve as Under Secretary for Health in VA on February 18, 2005, and confirmed on April 28, 2005. As CEO of the VHA, Perlin leads the nation's largest integrated health system, which provides healthcare to more than 5.1 million veterans and 7.6 million enrollees throughout the United States, with a medical care budget of approximately $30 billion and more than 196,500 healthcare professional employees at more than 1,300 sites of care.

Previously, Perlin served as Acting Under Secretary for Health from April 6, 2004, and Deputy Under Secretary for Health from July 2002 to April 2004. He also served as VHA's Acting Chief Research and Development Officer from December 2003 to July 2004, directing a $1.8 billion research program specializing in basic, clinical, rehabilitation and health services research. Perlin was VHA's Chief Quality and Performance Officer from 1999 to 2002. In that role, he was responsible for managing VHA's quality improvement and performance management system.

Perlin's background includes healthcare quality management, medical education, health information technologies, medical education, and health services research. He received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology (performing research in molecular neurobiology) with his M.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he maintains an academic appointment as adjunct associate professor.

"I am honored to represent VHA on the NQF Board," Perlin said. "NQF's vitally important work supports our shared goal of providing Veterans and all patients with safe, effective, efficient, and compassionate healthcare."

NQF is a voluntary consensus standard-setting organization. It is a private, not-for-profit, public benefit corporation established in 1999 to standardize healthcare quality measurement and reporting. Established as a unique public-private partnership, NQF has broad participation from all sectors of the healthcare industry. Visit NQF on the web at http://www.qualityforum.org/.

National Quality Forum

CONTACT: Philip Dunn of the National Quality Forum, +1-202-783-0206,pdunn@qualityforum.org

Web site: http://www.qualityforum.org/

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category