When it comes to governing, everyone has an opinion.  It was Thomas Jefferson who said “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves.” But on the other hand, it was Jon Stewart that said “You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena.”  It was Leo Tolstoy who said “Writing laws is easy, but governing is difficult.”   In this episode of STEPS to Value, we will explore the impact that governmental policy has on the health information technology industry with Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Acting Assistant Secretary and the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Dr. DeSalvo also shares her own personal story and advice for women considering a career in the STEM fields as part of HIMSS’ Women in Health IT Initiative.   We’ll also get an update from HIMSS Vice President Pat Wise on HIMSS’ Pathways to Value, a collection of action plans focused on key areas with high potential for health IT value realization: Clinical Decision Support; Remote Monitoring; Clinical Business Analysis; Information Exchange for Care Coordination; and Patient Safety.  This Episode’s Guests:Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MScActing Assistant Secretary for HealthFormer National Coordinator for Health Information TechnologyU.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Follow Karen on Twitter Learn more about the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human ServicesLearn more about Karen Patricia B. Wise, RN, MS, MA, FHIMSS, COL (USA ret’d)Vice President, Health Information SystemsHIMSSFollow Pat on Twitter Learn More on HIMSS’ Value of Health IT Suite & its Pathways to Value action plans Learn more about Pat This Episode's Promo:The Annual National Health IT Week is being held September 26-30, 2016. Join us for this collaborative forum where public and private healthcare constituents work in partnership to educate industry and policy stakeholders on the value of health IT for the U.S. healthcare system.  Initiated in 2006, National Health IT Week has emerged as a landmark occasion for using health IT as part of the overall solution to improve America’s healthcare as a bipartisan, federally led, market driven initiative.  The Week consists of events across the country, including National Health IT Week participants —vendors, provider organizations, payers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, government agencies, industry/professional associations, research foundations, and consumer protection groups— all working together to elevate national attention to the advantages of advancing health IT.  Make sure your voice is heard.Learn how to participate in NHIT WeekThis Episode’s STEPS Categories:This Episode’s Series ID Employee SpotlightBarbara CousineauRelationship Manager Organizational AffiliatesHIMSSLearn more about our Organizational Affiliates program.Learn more about BarbThis Episode’s Audience Ask:How do you think policy has impacted the health IT industry? Send us a voice memo from your smart phone with your thoughts. You can send them to [email protected] and we will play them on the air at the end of our next episode. (C) 2016, HIMSS North America