The agency managing the federal government’s health IT efforts has a new leader, a spokesperson for the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT confirmed Tuesday.
Thomas Keane
Thomas Keane, a software engineer and interventional radiologist, began his role as national coordinator Monday, the spokesperson said. He previously worked at the ASTP and served as a senior advisor to the deputy secretary of the HHS, according to his biography on the agency’s website.
Keane was also an administrator of the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund, which offered funds to providers to assist with pandemic-related expenses and lost revenue, according to his bio.
Additionally, he led the development of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s National Nursing Home COVID Action Network, an initiative that provided training to nursing homes on infection prevention and safety.
The ASTP, a decades-old agency previously known only as the ONC, reorganized last summer to expand its oversight over technology, data and artificial intelligence policy.
Keane’s appointment comes at a time of upheaval for the HHS as the Trump administration culls thousands of jobs and plans to slash the department’s budget.
More changes could be coming. In a more detailed budget proposal released late last week, the HHS requested $130 million to establish the Chief Technology Officer, which would include ASTP and coordinate the department’s cybersecurity and health IT work.
