NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- HCA today announced Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin has been named Chair of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Health IT Standards Committee, which will make recommendations to Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, regarding standards for the development and implementation of interoperable electronic health records as part of the Obama Administration's efforts to modernize the U.S. healthcare system.

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As President, Clinical Services and Chief Medical Officer of HCA, Dr. Perlin provides leadership for clinical services and improving performance at HCA's 163 hospitals and 104 surgery centers. The company has more than 180,000 employees and served approximately 18 million patients in 2008. Dr. Perlin's current activities include implementing electronic health records throughout HCA, improving clinical "core measures" to benchmark levels, and leading patient safety programs to eliminate preventable, drug-resistant, healthcare-associated infections.

Before joining HCA in 2006, Dr. Perlin was Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, as the senior-most physician in the Federal Government and Chief Executive Officer of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Dr. Perlin led the nation's largest integrated health system, directing care to over 5.4 million patients annually by more than 200,000 healthcare professionals at 1,400 sites.

Dr. Perlin has served on numerous Boards and Commissions including the National Quality Forum, the Joint Commission, Meharry Medical College, the National eHealth Collaborative and the National Patient Advocate Foundation.

Recognized among the ten most influential physician executives in the United States by Modern Healthcare, Dr. Perlin has received numerous awards including Distinguished Alumnus in Medicine and Health Administration from his alma mater, the Founders Medal from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, and is one of nine honorary members of the Special Forces Association and Green Berets.

Dr. Perlin has a master's of science in health administration and received his Ph.D. in pharmacology (molecular neurobiology) with his M.D. as part of the Physician Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

All references to "Company" and "HCA" as used throughout this document refer to HCA Inc. and its affiliates.

SOURCE HCA

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