ONC chief privacy officer steps down

Joy Pritts, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC's) chief privacy officer (CPO), is stepping down effective July 12.

“Thanks to her efforts, privacy and security have become engrained in the ONC culture and are increasingly being recognized as crucial elements of health IT by our stakeholders,” wrote National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, in an internal memo.

Among Pritts’ accomplishments include aiding the development of regulations that give patients direct access to their lab results. “Joy and her team have made great strides in furthering policy and technology that improves individuals' ability to choose when and how their health information may be electronically exchanged,” DeSalvo said in the letter. She also credited Pritts for providing technical assistance to providers to secure their electronic health data, and making privacy and security a distinct initiative in the Health & Human Services Secretary’s Strategic Initiatives.

"At a broader level, Joy and her team have worked closely with the White House and other federal agencies to help ensure that the health sector is represented in policy discussions involving privacy and security of personal information," according to the memo.

DeSalvo said they are seeking to identify an acting CPO and permanent replacement to ensure a smooth transition.