Posnack to replace White as deputy national coordinator for HIT

Jon White, MD, deputy national coordinator for health IT is leaving ONC next month and will be replaced by Steve Posnack, the agency’s current executive director of the office of technology.

National Coordinator for HIT Don Rucker, MD, made the announcement on Monday in an email to ONC staff, noting that White has accepted a position as the associate chief of staff of research at the Veterans Administration Salt Lake City Health Care System.

“During his nearly five years at ONC, Jon has provided exemplary executive leadership for all ONC programs and policies, and championed ONC’s key priorities of advancing interoperability and reducing provider burden,” wrote Rucker. “He helped lead mission-critical activities, including the publication of high priority, nationally impactful regulations, the publication of the Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap, a widely publicized congressional report on information blocking and ONC’s efforts in the precision medicine initiative.”

In 2017, White served on an interim basis as acting national coordinator following the resignation of Vindell Washington, MD, and prior to the Trump administration appointing Rucker to head ONC.

Also See: Jon White to serve as acting national coordinator for HIT

In his email to staff on Monday, Rucker said that Posnack will remain in his role as the head of ONC’s Office of Technology until a replacement is found and that he will replace White as deputy national coordinator effective August 19.

“In the interim, Jon and Steve will begin all of the steps necessary to ensure this transition occurs in a seamless manner,” Rucker added. “Steve has become a central part of ONC’s leadership team during his 14-year tenure, including nine years as part of ONC’s policy offices and five years leading ONC’s technology offices. His unique experience and depth of knowledge will provide steady direction for our ONC team, continuity for our stakeholders, and vision for the work ahead of us.”