DeSalvo will maintain leadership role at ONC

It appears Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, is not leaving the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) after all—despite an earlier announcement.

In a Health IT Buzz blog post jointly authored by DeSalvo and Acting National Coordinator Lisa Lewis, it was explained that while Lewis will provide the day-to-day leadership at ONC, DeSalvo will continue her work on high-level policy issues at the agency. As announced last week, DeSalvo will still serve as acting assistant secretary of health as part of a team handling the Ebola crisis.

“ONC will follow the policy direction that [DeSalvo] set,” according to the blog. To that end, DeSalvo will remain chair of the Health IT Policy Committee and continue to lead on the development and finalization of the interoperability roadmap. Also, she will continue to play a role in Meaningful Use policymaking and continue to co-chair the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) cross-departmental work on delivery system reform.

The blog also implied that ONC remains a sturdy agency despite the recent spate of resignations. “[T]he team that is ONC is far more than one or two leaders. The team of ONC is personified in each and every individual--all part of a steady ship and a strong and important part of HHS’ path toward delivery system reform and overall health improvement,” according to the blog.