John Fleming, a former Republican Congressman for Louisiana, was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services at the end of March 2017. His role remains unclear.
John Fleming is set to work on an agenda that includes regulations tied to technology and the practice of medicine and the removal of barriers in data exchange, in addition to finding ways to cut down on provider paperwork. Last year, Fleming predicted that if paperwork requirements couldn’t be reduced, physicians would stop accepting Medicare patients.
Donald Trump did not mention the Office of National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) in his budget, and Fleming’s appointment does not offer any insight into what the status of this unit will be. Fleming told Politico that he believes the ONC may be reorganizing. At the time of this writing it is too early to know what (if any) impact this omission will have on the agency.
The appointment of Fleming, like the appointment of Tom Price, raises new questions about existing regulations. Price supports delaying Stage 3 of Meaningful Use, as does Fleming. Fleming also supports softening reporting requirements for MACRA.
Fleming is a former member of the Doctors Congress and the Freedom Caucus and is looking forward to focusing his new role on improving how technology is used in the practice of medicine. Fleming is trained as a Family Practice physician.
As of March 30, 2017 confusion surrounding the appointment of Fleming continued, as he’s being appointed to a newly created position and there has been no official start date announced. The creation of a new post also has fueled media speculation that the ONC is facing downsizing. It is worth noting that the ONC was created by Republican President, George W. Bush in 2004 with the stated goal of creating solutions to interoperability problems.
Fleming has expressed a passion for the use of technology in the practice of medicine, as he believes the future of medicine will be dependent upon technology. Fleming will be reporting to newly named National Coordinator, Donald Rucker, M.D. According to media reports, Fleming was told he was interviewing for that position and as a result of these reports pundits have wondered if Fleming’s appointment is a way for the White House to keep an eye on the ONC.
In 1997, Fleming’s medical practice adopted electronic health records (EHR), and he went completely paperless in 1999. Fleming often discusses the burdens that Meaningful Use requirements put on EHR vendors. In an effort to motivate physicians to adopt technology, Fleming has mentioned the possibility of paid incentives.
As of April 2017, several health information technology societies have praised Fleming, including HIMSS. Conservative health information technology organizations see Fleming as an ally against an ONC that has been overreaching the last several years.
