A New Leader at the Helm of the ONC Health IT Certification Program

By Steven Posnack, M.S., M.H.S. Deputy National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Twitter: @ONC_HealthIT
Steven’s Twitter: @HealthIT_Policy

I’m pleased to announce that Robert Anthony recently transitioned into the role of the director of the Certification & Testing Division in ONC’s Office of Technology, where he will oversee the ONC Health IT Certification Program. Rob previously served as a senior policy advisor in the Office of Clinical Quality and Safety and as senior strategic advisor in the Office of Technology at ONC.

You’re probably saying to yourself “that name sounds familiar” – and you’re right! It is THAT Rob Anthony. You know him from his previous roles at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (greatest hits volume one), where he directed both health IT and quality measurement programs. There he served as the acting director and deputy director of the Quality Measurement & Value-Based Incentives Group in the Center for Clinic Standards and Quality. In these roles he oversaw the implementation of over 20 quality measurement and public reporting programs, including the Quality Payment Program, the Physician Quality Reporting System, the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, and the EHR Incentive Programs.

Prior to this, he was the deputy director of the Health IT Initiatives Group in CMS’s Office of eHealth Standards and Services (OESS). At OESS he developed policy and managed operations for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs beginning with Stage 1 of Meaningful Use. He also coordinated eHealth and health IT initiatives related to health IT, interoperability, electronic clinical quality measurement, and much more.

Rob follows USPHS Captain Alicia Morton, DNP, RN-BC, who led the division and the ONC Health IT Certification Program for over 5 years (which is roughly 29 regulatory years). Having just eclipsed her 14th year at ONC, Alicia isn’t going anywhere just yet and will continue her tenure at ONC as my senior advisor. Thank you Alicia from all of us at ONC for your steadfast dedication to one of our core programs.

I’m looking forward to working with Rob in his new role, especially as we look toward the implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act and a new era for the ONC Health IT Certification Program.

This post was originally published on the Health IT Buzz and is syndicated here with permission.