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Keith Mueller, Ph.D. |
At the first meeting of the council, Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy appointed Dr. Mueller to serve as one of three co-chairs of the 25-member council.
The council appointees include representatives from state and federal government, health care providers, eHealth initiatives, payers and employers, consumers, resource providers, experts and others. Dr. Mueller is one of four members appointed from the public health sector.
Dr. Mueller, who also serves as professor and section chief, health services research and rural health policy, joined UNMC in 1990. In January, he was named associate dean for academic affairs in the newly formed UNMC College of Public Health.
“The College of Public Health is very pleased that Dr. Mueller has been appointed to the state eHealth Council. His expertise in health policy and health services research, and particularly his role as a national leader in research on rural health issues, will serve as an extremely valuable resource to the Council,” said Jay Noren, M.D., dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health.
In addition, Dr. Mueller serves as director of the Nebraska Center for Rural Health Research as well as the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis. He also serves as an adviser on UNMC’s teams dealing with state and federal legislation.
A key national figure in developing rural health policy, Dr. Mueller served as president of the National Rural Health Association in 1996-97 and currently serves on the NRHA’s Quality Steering Committee. For the past four years, he has been a member of the Research Council for RUPRI. From 2000-04, he was a member of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, to the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to his rural health expertise, Dr. Mueller also is well versed in national health policy. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Last year, Dr. Mueller was among 25 investigators named UNMC Distinguished Scientists for 2006. His research focuses on the development of public policies that improve health care delivery to vulnerable populations, with special attention to rural areas. He examines the impact of policies on local health care providers, such as how changes in Medicare payment policy influence the mix of services offered in rural communities. His research led to a change in the regulation implementing access standards in the Medicare Part D drug benefit.
The Nebraska Information Technology Commission created the eHealth Council to provide guidance and recommendations regarding the adoption of eHealth technologies in Nebraska.
eHealth technologies include electronic health records, telehealth, e-prescribing, electronic delivery of lab results, computerized-physician order-entry, and health information exchange that allows the sharing of clinical and administrative data across the boundaries of health care institutions. eHealth technologies could significantly reduce medical costs, reduce medical errors and improve patient care.
The eHealth Council is charged with:
- Assisting the Nebraska Information Technology Commission in developing, reviewing and updating the statewide technology plan.
- Reviewing the current status of health care information technology adoption by the health care delivery system in Nebraska;
- Addressing potential security, privacy and other issues related to the adoption of interoperable health care information technology in Nebraska;
- Evaluating the cost of using interoperable health care information technology by the health care delivery system in Nebraska;
- Identifying private resources and public/private partnerships to fund efforts to adopt interoperable health care information technology;
- Supporting and promoting the use of telehealth as a vehicle to improve health care access to Nebraskans; and
- Recommending best practices or policies for state government and private entities to promote the adoption of interoperable health care information technology by the health care delivery system in Nebraska.