New role will focus on understanding and supporting interoperable electronic healthcare initiatives in the private and public sectors

First DataBank today announced that Thomas R. Bizzaro, RPh, has been named Vice President, Health Policy and Industry Relations, reporting to President Donald Nielsen, MD. Bizzaro was formerly First DataBank’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and is based in the company’s office in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In this newly-created role, Bizzaro will have responsibility for proactively monitoring all healthcare policy issues and proposals emanating from both the federal and state governments as well as participating in health policy initiatives related to the use of electronic drug information. In light of the new administration’s increasing focus on healthcare reform and informatics, Bizzaro will be actively involved in various health informatics standards setting activities for interoperability, participate in the development of common drug language standards, as well as continue in his role as Board Member of the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP).

“Today the federal government is taking a much larger role in defining standards and promoting the use of informatics in healthcare delivery,” said Tom Bizzaro, RPh, Vice President, Health Policy and Industry Relations. “As an industry leader in publishing electronic drug information for healthcare, First DataBank is in a unique position to provide useful information to the government, industry and to healthcare providers alike as these standards are being developed. I am pleased to assume this new leadership role for First DataBank and continue to move our industry forward into a fully electronic future.”

“Tom is uniquely qualified to assume this position, given his enormous experience in his prior role where he participated in a variety of health informatics standards setting organizations, and in his involvement in numerous forums involving discussions of health policy issues,” said Donald Nielsen, MD, President, First DataBank. “Tom has strong relationships within both the government and industry sectors as well as all segments of First DataBank’s customer base. Tom will play an important role as new standards are being crafted that will impact healthcare informatics and our business.”

Bizzaro joined First DataBank in 1996 with more than 20 years of experience in retail pharmacy management. Prior to joining First DataBank, Tom was the Regional Pharmacy Supervisor for HMO Health Ohio and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ohio, where he was responsible for operations, pharmaceutical contracting, and formulary management for HMO Health Ohio’s staff model pharmacies. Since 1996, Bizzaro has been a member of the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), is past Co-Chair of Work Group 2 Product Identification (WG2), and was elected to the NCPDP Board of Trustees in 2005. Bizzaro received a B.S. Degree in Pharmacy from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

About First DataBank

First DataBank, a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, drives patient safety and healthcare quality by providing drug databases that are used within information systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. For 30 years, we have partnered with system developers to integrate and optimize our drug information to improve user workflow and enhance clinical decision making by those entrusted with treating patients at the point-of-need. For more information about First DataBank, call 800-633-3453 or visit www.firstdatabank.com.

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