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HIMSS, CHIME and many high-ranking healthcare executives expect big things from a leader they see as highly qualified.

“You need to own your own career and to be open to the possibilities. It applies whether you are early, mid or late career.” That was my opening statement in my early January blog, “New year, next chapter”, when I announced that I was leaving a permanent CIO position to pursue a new path. And it is advice I have often given others. It’s now my time for that next possibility and I’m excited about it. I’ve decided to launch a new health care IT advisory firm, StarBridge Advisors, with two colleagues. I’m teaming up with David Muntz and Russ Rudish. David is a nationally recognized CIO who has served some of the largest and most complex healthcare provider organizations in the country including Baylor Health Care System and Texas Health Resources. Prior to that he served as CIO and was promoted to CEO of Wadley Institutes of Molecular Medicine. David also served as White House-appointed first Principal Deputy National Coordinator, Chief of Staff, and CIO at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Together David and I have a combined 60-plus years of experience in health IT management. Russ was the Global & US Health Care Leader for Deloitte through 2014. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was Executive Vice President of Eclipsys Corporation, overseeing all client facing activities — sales, marketing, product management, customer support, outsourcing and professional services. Upon leaving Deloitte, Russ formed Rudish Health Solutions, which focuses on strategy and M&A consulting, interim management and executive search. He also became a principal in Health Care IT Leaders, which provides staff augmentation services. StarBridge Advisors will provide world class IT leadership advisory and interim management services to healthcare organizations. We want to be a trusted advisor on leadership matters in the HIT marketplace and to help clients innovate, transform, lead, and make a positive impact on healthcare in the U.S. Our services will include: interim management; executive advisor; leadership coaching; leadership transition assessment and planning; executive search assistance; operational effectiveness; vendor evaluation and selection; and assistance with IT governance, cybersecurity, public policy, interoperability, and patient and family engagement. That means providing today’s solutions and tomorrow’s leaders. We will partner with other firms offering HIT services and bring in individual experts depending on the specific engagement and client needs. I’ve never quite seen myself as an entrepreneur. I have been comfortable finding my place on the executive leadership team of large health care organizations. But I decided to launch a new firm partnering with these two colleagues whom I greatly respect and share common goals. I’m confident we can be successful together and have a positive impact on our industry. I’m excited about this new venture. I continue to be committed to improving health care and to developing the next generation of IT leaders. And I’m certainly not planning to compromise my master plan goals I have already made. As I have said before: “I have considered for some time what I want my next chapter to be, in both my professional and personal life. I want to live close to my daughters and grandchildren in New England and spend more time with them. I want more flexibility and to work less than full-time over the course of a year, and I want to do work I really enjoy.” Remaining true to my master plan. Stay tuned! This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.

As we head into Congress' lame-duck session, the national policy agenda for healthcare CIOs will revolve around meaningful use, cybersecurity, ICD-10 and patient safety. At the CHIME 2014 Fall CIO Forum, Capitol Hill insiders offered strategies for managing the multitude of rules.

It's a simple enough question. The answer, however, might be difficult for many in the health IT realm to accept.

Among this week's people on the move, David Muntz joined GetWellNetwork as CIO.

While some observers wagered that he would succeed his colleague Farzad Mostashari, MD, as the new national coordinator, Principal Deputy David Muntz actually ended up departing ONC this past month alongside him. And as he announced his leave-taking, Muntz actually foreshadowed his next move.

Joining the interactive patient care vendor as CIO, former ONC deputy principal director David Muntz will draw on his policy and HIT experience to fuel patient-provider partnerships.

Among this week's people on the move, the ONC named Jacob Reider, MD, as acting national coordinator following the departure of Farzad Mostashari, MD, and David Muntz, MD.

As two top leaders prepare to leave health IT's highest government posts, another ONC official -- a family physician, who also spent some time working at an EHR company -- prepares to take the reins.

Both the ONC's national coordinator and principal deputy national coordinator are leaving the agency in October, closing one era and opening another under a new acting ONC chief.