VA names functional champion for electronic health record modernization program
The Department for Veterans Affairs has appointed Dr. David Massaro as functional champion for its electronic health record modernization program.
In the role, the senior medical leader will work as the clinical executive representing the Veterans Health Administration and will lead functional initiatives to support the department’s medical personnel.
Massaro is tasked with coordinating the development and implementation of the modernization program across VA offices. He started work in the new role Monday, initially on detail from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Health Informatics.
VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal announced the appointment internally Monday in a memo, which was obtained by FedScoop.
Most recently, Massaro was acting chief health informatics officer for the Office of Community Care within the VHA’s Office of Health Informatics.
Previously, he was the director of integrated health practice within the Office of Health Informatics at VHA. He is a practicing physician and began his VA career in 2006 at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan.
Dr. Terry Adirim, program executive director of VA’s EHR Modernization Integration Office, said of Massaro’s appointment: “We are pleased to have Dr. David Massaro serve as the Functional Champion for VA’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) Modernization efforts within the EHRM-Integration Office. Dr. Massaro was selected due to his commitment to deploying an electronic health record that enables VHA to function as a High Reliability Organization and Learning Health System that places the Veteran first.”
The appointment represents the latest senior executive role created by the VA as it works to address concerns over the delayed and over-budget EHR rollout.
In late 2021, the department appointed Adirim to be the executive program director of the EHR office and later named Laura Prietula as acting deputy chief information officer for the office.
At the time, the department said also that it would “significantly strengthen” the Office of the Functional Champion, which advocates for patient safety within frontline EHR implementation teams.
