The Change at ONC: Not a Lot

The reorganization at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology doesn’t seem to portend major changes at ONC.

Running out of HITECH Act funds, ONC needs to move from a grant-making organization doling out money for programs authorized under HITECH, to an organization one that focuses on HIT standards, certification programs and policies.

While there will be a flatter reporting structure and less offices and sub-offices, the new-look ONC will continue to have most of the same top leaders. But there are no significant budget or personnel impacts from the realignment, according to an anonymous official.

Jacob Reider, will remain the No. 2 leader behind National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo. Kelly Cronin, Joy Pritts, Lisa Lewis, Doug Fridsma, Judy Murphy, Jodi Daniel, Kimberly Lynch and Nora Super all will be in charge of a major office within ONC.

Lygeia Ricciardi will continue to lead consumer e-health strategies as part of the new Office of Programs, and Lee Stevens will continue to oversee HIT certification as part of the new Office of Standards and Technology. Amy Helwig, who served as acting chief medical officer, will hold a leadership role in the new Office of Clinical Quality and Safety. Steven Posnack, who led the federal policy division in the old Office of Policy and Planning, gets a promotion to run the new Office of Standards and Technology.

Only two of 15 top leaders before the reorganization have moved on. Claudia Williams, who has led health information exchange initiatives, has dually served at ONC and at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and is back at the White House. Michal Furukawa, former director of the Office of Economic Analysis at ONC, joined the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality earlier this year and still works closely with ONC.

Under the reorganization, the Immediate Office of the National Coordinator will include DeSalvo and Deputy National Coordinator Jacob Reider, M.D. Reporting to them will be:

* Kelly Cronin, former Health Reform Coordinator and now head of the Office of Care Transformation;

* Joy Pritts, former Chief Privacy Officer and now head of the Office of the Chief Privacy Officer;

* Lisa Lewis, former Deputy National Coordinator for Operations and now head of the Office of the Chief Operating Officer;

* Doug Fridsma, M.D., former Chief Science Officer and Director of the Office of Science and Technology, and now head of the Office of the Chief Scientist;

* Judy Murphy, R.N., former Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy and now head of the Office of Clinical Quality and Safety;

* Seth Pazinski, former Division Director of Planning and Operations at the Department of Health and Human Services and previously a Special Assistant at ONC, and now head of the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Analysis;

* Jodi Daniel, former Director of the Office of Policy and Planning and now head of the Office of Policy;

* Kimberly Lynch, former Director of the Office of Provider Adoption Support and now head of the Office of Programs;

* Nora Super, continuing as head of the Office of Public Affairs and Communications; and

* Steven Posnack, former Director of Federal Policy Division in the Office of Policy and Planning and now head of the Office of Standards and Technology.