Government Getting Lots of Advice But Decisions Rest With Blumenthal

Before a subcommittee last week delivered its recommendations on how electronic health record systems should be certified, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal made it a point to deliver a reminder to both the work group and the entire Health IT Policy Committee: "This committee does provide advice to the national coordinator, but it does not make policy," Blumenthal said, with a noticeable emphasis on "not." How the federal government proceeds with sweeping plans to spread health IT across the country over the next few years will be determined by Blumenthal and his boss, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. They certainly will listen and sometimes heed the advice of industry experts on two committees working hurriedly to suggest a framework for what will be a massive undertaking on a relatively tight schedule. But ultimately, the decisions will be left to Blumenthal and Sebelius -- mostly Blumenthal. Blumenthal, who got an earful of advice from the policy panel last week and will get another barrage from standards experts this week, hopes to have the foundation for a federal framework ready for public inspection by the end of September.