Perlin Named to National Commission

Military Medicine, Fall 2005

Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, Under secretary for Health within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has been named to a special commission charged with increasing the health care industry's use of computerized patient records and other digital information.

"Dr. Rerun's selection to this important post signifies the respect he has from his colleagues," said R. James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs. "As a member of this panel, Dr. Perlin will be able to share the lessons learned from VA's leadership role in computerized patient records." The federally-chartered commission is called the American Health Information Community. It was formed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Perlin will be one of 16 commissioners.

A September 12, 2005 article by the Associated Press (AP) noted that the 50,000 patients served by VA's New Orleans medical center had complete access to their computerized records when the facility was evacuated after Hurricane Katrina. AP called VA "a bright exception" to the plight of many storm victims who lost their paper medical records.

Perlin was sworn in as VA's Under secretary for Health on May 5, 2005. He has served on the staff of the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond, Va., and at the Richmond VA Medical Center. He has been in the Department's Washington headquarters since 1999. Perlin spearheaded the creation of the VA's performance standards for its health care professionals and in the deployment of VA's computerized health records, credited with improving patient care and patient satisfaction with the VA's healthcare system. A member of the AMSUS Executive Advisory Committee, Dr. Perlin will assume its presidency at the conclusion of its 111th Annual Meeting in Nashville.