*HomeU.S. Government Accountability Office*
Menu

      close


          
          
                          	
				
				
	
	
					Reports & Testimonies
									
																				
				
				
	
	
								Reports & Testimonies
													
																												
																						
							
																Recommendations Database
							
																												
																						
							
																Month in Review
							
																												
																						
							
																Order Copies
							
																												
																						
							
																Restricted Reports
							
																												
																						
							
																View Topics
							
																												
																						
							
																View Agencies
							
																												
																						
							
																Bid Protests & Appropriations Law
									
																				
				
				
	
	
								Bid Protests & Appropriations Law
													
																												
																						
							
																Bid Protests
							
																												
																						
							
																Appropriations Law
							
																												
																						
							
																Federal Vacancies Reform Act
							
																												
																						
							
																Other Legal
							
																												
																						
							
																About
									
																				
				
				
	
	
								About
													
																												
																						
							
																What GAO Does
							
																												
																						
							
																U.S. Comptroller General
							
																												
																						
							
																Careers
							
																												
																						
							
																Contact UsFor Congress
                                
                          
        
                Press Center
                                
                          
        
                Careers
                                
                          
        
                BlogSearch Breadcrumb
        Home
                            Press Center
                            GAO Makes Appointments To The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee
    GAO Makes Appointments to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee WASHINGTON, DC (December 20, 2021) – Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of seven members to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC).

“Today’s appointees bring impressive qualifications and a range of experiences and perspectives to the HITAC’s work on such issues as the use of technology to promote care coordination, addressing the needs of children and other vulnerable populations, and supporting public health,” Dodaro said.  “These new additions, along with the existing members, will be a key source of advice for advancing the electronic access, exchange, and use of health information, as outlined in the 21st Century Cures Act.”

The newly appointed members are Hans Buitendijk, Steven Eichner, Rajesh Godavarthi, Hung Luu, Aaron Neinstein, Eliel Oliveira, and Fillipe Southerland. Each are appointed for three-year terms, and may be reappointed for subsequent three-year terms.

The 21st Century Cures Act, enacted in December 2016, established the HITAC and gave the Comptroller General responsibility for appointing at least 14 of the members. In addition, 11 members are appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate, and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. The committee provides recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria relating to the implementation of a health information technology infrastructure that advances the electronic access, exchange, and use of health information.

For more information, please visit the HITAC website. Other calls should be directed to Chuck Young in GAO’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800.

Brief biographies of the new appointees are provided below:

**Hans J. Buitendijk, MSc**, is Director of Interoperability Strategy at Cerner Corporation, with a primary focus on establishing and propagating industry standards to enable interoperability across health IT systems. He represents Cerner in various industry initiatives to advance interoperability, such as HL7, CommonWell Health Alliance, Carequality Interoperability Framework, and The Sequoia Project, and serves as the chair of the Electronic Health Record Association’s executive committee. He received his Master of Science in Management Science and Industrial Engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology.****

**Steven Eichner**,**MPA**,****is the Health Information Technology Lead at the Texas Department of State Health Services. He has focused on projects to improve the state’s ability to collect, manage, and share key public health data, including through the use of disease surveillance systems. He has also engaged in the development of standards, such as the United States Core Data for Interoperability and the HL7 Situational Awareness for Novel Epidemic Response standard. Mr. Eichner also moderates a support group for patients with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, and advises a patient support organization, the International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association, on technology projects. He received his Master of Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

**Rajesh Godavarthi**, **MS**, is the Associate Vice President of Technology and Interoperability at MCG Health, where he is responsible for their technology roadmap and interoperability strategy and for the development and maintenance of widely-used clinical decision support software. Mr. Godavarthi is also an active collaborator in the HL7 Da Vinci Project, focused on data standardization for value-based care programs, has helped to develop and provide education on HL7 FHIR standards, and serves on the board of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange. He received his Master of Science in Computer Science from Osmania University and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Acharya Nagarjuna University.

**Hung S. Luu, PharmD, MD**, is the Director of Clinical Pathology at Children’s Health, a health system with hospitals in Plano and Dallas, Texas. Dr. Luu is also an Associate Professor of Pathology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He serves as the co-chair of the implementation committee for the Food and Drug Administration’s SHIELD initiative, a multi-stakeholder initiative to improve the quality, interoperability, and portability of laboratory data.  He is also an active member of the informatics and standards committees at the College of American Pathologists. Dr. Luu received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Drake University and his Doctor of Medicine from Oregon Health & Science University.

**Aaron Neinstein, MD**, is the Vice President of Digital Health at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health, Senior Director at the UCSF Center for Digital Health Innovation, and Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF. He has led the development and implementation of a wide range of health technology, with a focus on improving patient access and engagement through telehealth and remote patient monitoring. He also provides endocrinology and diabetes care to patients, and is active in medical education and research. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

**Eliel Oliveira, MBA, MS**, is Director, Research and Innovation, at the Dell Medical School of the University of Texas at Austin, and provides executive leadership to the Central Texas health information exchange. He has helped lead the development of a mobile patient engagement platform—with a focus on involving underrepresented populations in the design process—and a community-wide referral management platform that integrates social services referrals, clinical data, and personal needs assessments. Mr. Oliveira previously held leadership positions in information technology at the Louisiana Public Health Institute and the Louisiana Cancer Research Center. He received his Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in International Development from Tulane University.

**Fillipe Southerland** is the Director of Healthcare Solutions at Yardi Systems, Inc., one of the nation’s largest health information technology developers serving long-term and post-acute care providers, and is a member of Choctaw Nation. Mr. Southerland is an active participant in Carequality Interoperability Framework, where he focuses on connecting long-term and post-acute health care providers to the framework. He also serves as a commissioner for the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies, is an active HL7 member, and is a Sequoyah Fellow of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from California Polytechnic State University.

#####

*The Government Accountability Office, known as the investigative arm of Congress, is an independent, nonpartisan agency that exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities. GAO also works to improve the performance of the federal government and ensure its accountability to the American people. The agency examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO provides Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonideological, fair, and balanced. GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.*
      Next Release:
  
GAO’s Work Led to $66.2 Billion in Financial Benefits for Congress and the American PeopleDate
              Nov 15, 2021

            WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 15, 2021) – The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) work generated $66.2 billion in financial benefits for Congress and the American people in fiscal year 2021.  This continues to demonstrate a strong return on every dollar invested in GAO.  Our average return on investment for the past 5 years is $158 to $1.  The congressional watchdog also produced more than 1,200 other benefits that shaped legislation and strengthened operations across the federal government in fiscal year 2021.
 Receive GAO Updates
  Stay informed as we add new reports & testimonies.

    GAO Logo
      U.S. Government Accountability Office


                                   Column 1
                            Press Center
                              Contact Us
                              Inspector General
                              Restricted Reports
                              Column 2
                            Copyright & Terms of Use
                              Privacy Policy
                              Accessibility
                              Sitemap
                              Column 3
                            FOIA Requests
                              Scam Alerts
                              No FEAR Act Data
                              Health Care Advisory Committees