On Thursday, the federal government announced the promotion of Vindell Washington to National Coordinator for Health Information Technology – the top government job in health IT.
Washington replaces Karen DeSalvo, who will continue on as acting assistant secretary for health at the HHS. Washington moves up from his job as principal deputy national coordinator at the Office of the National Coordination (ONC) for Health IT.
Prior to joining the ONC in January, Washington was chief medical information officer at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) in Baton Rouge, La. He led the early adoption of health IT and medical device data integration in the five-hospital system’s electronic health record (EHR), according to his bio.
As it happens, I wrote a story in December 2014 on FMOLHS and its adoption of technology to modernize its supply chain.
Modernization of the supply chain isn’t exactly top of mind for most health reporters. But it’s important because being able to track medical devices through the supply chain could have a positive impact on patient safety.
So here’s the story with FMOLHS. Essentially, in early 2014 FMOLHS persuaded seven of its largest contracting manufacturers to participate in a pilot program on supply chain automation. The system (built in-house) mapped each step a product takes through the supply chain. This end-to-end cycle was documented in a central computer database.
To track each item, FMOLHS uses a GTIN – Global Trade Item Number. The GTIN is a unique number to identify trade items (through bar coding).
The idea is being able to track each item placed into the health care supply chain will modernize post-market device surveillance. A tracking system could also save money because hospitals would have a more efficient inventory system, and they can conduct long-term studies on comparative effectiveness of devices. FMOLHS, for instance, said it saved money by eliminating paperwork for purchase orders.
The Food and Drug Administration has weighed in on this by requiring classes of medical devices to carry unique identifiers (like a GTIN) and collect those identifiers in a central database. This so-called Unique Device Identification (UDI) system is being phased in now. The FDA has a chart on dates and deadlines for compliance. A survey published in early August indicated that only 15 percent of medical device makers are prepared for the next UDI compliance deadline of September 24.
As reporters, we spend a lot of time covering what happens at the bedside. These days, many changes are happening at the loading dock too. Washington’s experience in Baton Rouge is just one example.
