Lucia Savage is joining ONC from UnitedHealthcare, where she was senior associate general counsel, a role that involved supervising a team focused on health information exchange, transparency projects and other data-driven innovations, DeSalvo wrote in an internal e-mail to ONC staff.

“She brings a set of rich experiences at the intersection of health information, privacy, and modernizing the health care delivery system,” DeSalvo wrote. “She has stellar qualifications and a passion for health IT in this nation and our work.”

Savage also served on the Governance Board of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Multi-Payer Claims database initiative from 2011 through 2013, DeSalvo added, and has been involved with HIEs and state agencies.

Before UnitedHealthcare, Savage worked as the general counsel for the Pacific Business Group on Health and prior to that role she was Stanford University’s benefits compliance officer.

Savage holds a BA from Mills College in Oakland, CA, and received her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in May 1989.

“Most recently,” DeSalvo added, “she has been emphasizing the importance of cost and quality transparency in healthcare, and has been working on the complex issues of maintaining patient privacy while working to fully realize the potential of health information exchange for better patient care in a learning health care system.”

Savage joined ONC on Oct. 20, succeeding acting Chief Privacy Officer Kathryn Marchesini, who will stay with ONC as part of its privacy team. Marchesini has been acting Chief Privacy Officer since Joy Pritts left the post in July.