Policy Leaders Receive Health IT Leadership Awards

September 26, 2014

Categories: Thought Leadership

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National Health IT Week September 15-19As part of the closing events of National Health IT Week, an awards and partners reception held in Washington, D.C. celebrated three policy leaders who are among the greatest proponents of utilizing IT to drive value and innovation in the healthcare space.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was presented with the HIMSS Congressional Health IT Leadership Award for his ongoing focus on privacy and security issues in health IT. Blumenthal has also advocated for reform in the health insurance industry to ensure that healthcare coverage is available to all patients. He now serves as the Co-Chair of the Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics, which works alongside the HIMSS Foundation’s Institute for e-Health Policy to organize monthly educational events on Capitol Hill.

The HIMSS Federal Health IT Leadership Award was given to Judy Murphy for her work as the Chief Nursing Officer and Director at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, where she advocates for the use of technology to improve care, lower costs and promote greater patient awareness of their health. Murphy has made it a priority in her career to focus on maintaining a “patient-centric” point of view to ensure that patients are well aware of their health and can access necessary information in real-time and from any location.

Finally, Hawaii state Sen. Rosalyn Baker (D), chair of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, was named HIMSS State Legislator of the Year. Baker has been a long-time advocate for quality health care and has played a vital role in developing health policy for the state of Hawaii. Her support for health IT advances allowed her to aid in developing the Hawaii Health Insurance Exchange and her partnership with HIMSS members to recognize Hawaii Pacific Health, a 2012 Davies award winner, has made her a proven leader in the state.

While technology’s role in health care is constantly evolving, these three honorees are paving the way for future innovation and success.

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