The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) announced on Tuesday three new appointees to its board of trustees. The Commission also named William F. Jessee, MD, president and chief executive officer of the Medical Group Management Association as the new chairman of the board.
CCHIT also named 11 commissioners, whose terms will begin Jan. 1.
"Given the large number and high caliber of the applying candidates, this was a challenging selection process," Jessee said. "We thank all those who expressed interest and hope they will take advantage of other opportunities for participation as they arise."
According to CCHIT, the nine-member board of trustees has fiduciary responsibility for the not-for-profit organization and provides leadership in the areas of fiscal oversight and stewardship of assets, organizational strategy, evaluation of senior management, and resolution of any conflicts of interest involving the Commission's management and its board of commissioners. Trustees serve three-year staggered terms.
CCHIT said the new appointees are Richard Campanelli, director of government relations for Health and Human Services, Washington Operations, Lockheed Martin Corporation; John Derr, strategic technology, Golden Living, LLC; and Andrew Wiesenthal, MD, Deloitte Consulting LLP.
The board of commissioners, chaired by Karen Bell, MD, guides and approves the work of the voluntary work groups and staff as they develop certification criteria, inspection processes and policy, according to the Commission, which solicited applications from senior executives representing a wide range of stakeholders across the public and private sectors of health care and health IT. Commissioners serve two-year terms on the 21-member board, and the new commissioners are:
- Abha Agrawal, MD, chief medical officer, Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY
- Rebecca Armato, executive director, Physician and Interoperability Services, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, Calif.
- William Corbett, MD, vice president community practice, UMass Memorial Medical Group
- Charles Jaffe, MD, chief executive officer, Health Level 7 International
- David Krusch, MD, chief medical information officer, director, Division of Medical Informatics, associate professor of surgery and informatics, University of Rochester Medical Center
- Lewis Sandy, MD, senior vice president of clinical advancement, United Health Group
- Gregory Zeller, DDS, associate professor of dental medicine, clinical director of the EHR implementation project, University of Maryland Dental School
"The Commission welcomes the diverse expertise that our new appointees represent as we meet the challenge of the future," Bell said. "We would also like to extend appreciation to those whose terms have ended, for their continued support."
