Mostashari shares concerns, 'insider clues' in first speech since leaving ONC

Dr. Farzad Mostashari didn't quite bare his soul to a bunch of hospital CIOs, but the man who was indefatigably buoyant as the nation's federal health information technology czar did pull back the curtain a bit and offered an assessment of his own concerns as well as some "insider clues" in his first speech since leaving federal service.

Dr. Mostashari stepped down as head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Oct. 5. He announced that he'd be joining the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, working for its Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform. “I'm hopeful and optimistic, but in terms of having new technologies and systems, I'm a little concerned,” Dr. Mostashari said. And now, speaking “not as national coordinator,” he shared some of those concerns about both the current state and the future of healthcare IT. “Too many don't know how to do this,” Dr. Mostashari said, meaning the needed, technology-enabled changes in healthcare delivery. He cited market usability and poor communication across the industry as major concerns in healthcare IT. He also dropped “a couple of insider clues” as to the policymakers' perspectives on calls for delaying Stage 2 of the federal EHR incentive payment program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “There is no legal way to change the final rule without a pretty elaborate process that takes nine to 12 months,” he said. Instead, Mostashari said, those pressing for relief from penalties for noncompliance might look to “sub-regulatory guidance.”