Authors

Dr. Farzad Mostashari

Portrait of Dr. Farzad Mostashari

Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM served as National Coordinator for Health Information Technology within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Farzad joined ONC in July 2009. Previously, he served at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Assistant Commissioner for the Primary Care Information Project, where he facilitated the adoption of prevention-oriented health information technology by over 1,500 providers in underserved communities. Dr. Mostashari also led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded NYC Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics and an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded project focused on quality measurement at the point of care. Prior to this he established the Bureau of Epidemiology Services at the NYC Department of Health, charged with providing epidemiologic and statistical expertise and data for decision making to the health department. He did his graduate training at the Harvard School of Public Health and Yale Medical School, internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. He was one of the lead investigators in the outbreaks of West Nile Virus and anthrax in New York City, and among the first developers of real-time electronic disease surveillance systems nationwide.

Dr. Farzad Mostashari's Latest Blog Posts

Electronic Health Information Exchange Governance Framework Released

Dr. Farzad Mostashari | May 3, 2013

Last year, ONC issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather public input on a potential regulatory approach that would have spelled out “conditions for trusted exchange” (safeguards, technical, and business practice) through rulemaking, and establish a voluntary accreditation and certification process for validating organizations as being legitimate participants in the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN).

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Health IT: Charting the Course for 2013 to Harness Health IT to Bring Down Costs and Improve Quality in Health Care

Dr. Farzad Mostashari | March 6, 2013

Today HHS is announcing critical progress toward building the infrastructure needed for Health Information Technology (IT) systems to communicate seamlessly and securely.  This is crucial to our efforts to modernize our health care delivery system and will facilitate our efforts to bring down costs and improve care for patients.

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ONC Activities Support Governance of Nationwide Health Information Exchange

Dr. Farzad Mostashari | December 20, 2012

Earlier this year, ONC issued a request for information regarding a potential governance mechanism for the nationwide health information network.  Based on the comments and feedback we received from multiple stakeholders, ONC announced in September that we would not be issuing federal regulations. Instead, we committed to launch a range of activities to support existing governance initiatives and advance governance goals of nationwide health information exchange: increase interoperability, decrease the cost and complexity of exchange, and increase trust among participants to mobilize trusted exchange to support patient care. 

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Now is the Time for Meaningful Use!

Dr. Farzad Mostashari | September 12, 2012

Recognizing the need to strike a balance between the urgency of modernizing our health care system and the pace of change that can be absorbed by providers and health IT vendors, CMS and ONC have implemented the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs in three stages, with each stage adding increased functionality and advanced concepts designed to improve patient care, enhance care coordination, and increase patient and family engagement. Released in July 2010,

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