WASHINGTON, DC (June 7, 2011) - Helen Darling, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), has been appointed co-chair of the National Priorities Partnership (NPP), which is convened by the National Quality Forum (NQF). NPP is a multi-stakeholder group representing the interests of 48 leading private- and public-sector organizations focused on transforming healthcare.
“Helen is a tireless champion of NPP who consistently channels her energy and resources into creating positive change in healthcare,” said NPP co-chair Bernard Rosof, MD. “We are very pleased that she has accepted this role and look forward to her perspective as we continue the work of NPP.”
NPP focuses on aligning public- and private‐sector commitment around a specific set of national priorities for improving healthcare quality. It believes that both sectors play an instrumental role and that we can meet our national goals faster and better when public and private organizations work collaboratively and with shared priorities in mind. Within activities convened by NPP, such as providing multi-stakeholder input to the federal government, or through each partner’s own individual efforts, NPP partners are on the frontlines of making care safer, more efficient, and more patient- and family-centric.
“The National Priorities Partnership is taking important steps toward helping our nation’s healthcare system realize the goals of the National Quality Strategy,” said Ms. Darling. “Together we can work to improve the health of all people, through better, safer healthcare, prevention of injuries and illnesses, and changes in lifestyles and communities, resulting in a more affordable healthcare system.”
Ms. Darling, along with NGBH, was one of the original 28 members of NPP. She has played a pivotal role in promoting NQF’s mission of improved quality and safety in healthcare through her active participation in numerous committees, most notably through her leadership with the Palliative Care Workgroup, which has placed the spotlight on keeping patient and family preference in the forefront of care decisions and led to the creation of toolkits designed to help palliative care workers keep this focus in mind. She was one of the early co-chairs of the Safety Work Group, which emphasized the reduction of serious adverse events. In addition to her new role as co-chair of NPP, she also serves on the NPP Evaluation Advisory Panel and the NQF Board of Directors.
“Helen has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to NPP, and we are very pleased that she will be serving in this important leadership capacity,” said Karen Adams, NQF vice president for National Priorities.
Before joining the National Business Group on Health, a national non-profit membership organization devoted exclusively to providing practical solutions to its employer-members' healthcare problems and representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues, Ms. Darling directed the purchasing of health benefits and disability at Xerox Corporation and was a principal at William W. Mercer and a practice leader at Watson Wyatt.
Ms. Darling was the 2009 recipient of WorldatWork's Keystone Award, its highest honor in recognition of sustained contributions to the field of human resources and benefits. She received the President's Award by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2010. She was also given a lifetime appointment in 2003 as a National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences for her work for the Institute of Medicine.
In addition to her work with NPP, Ms. Darling also serves on a number of committees, including the Committee on Performance Measurement of the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a co-chair, the Medical Advisory Panel, Technology Evaluation Center, the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Value and Science-Driven Health Care, the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the Learning Health System in America, and the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). She is also on the board of directors of the Congressionally created Reagan-Udall Foundation.
The National Priorities Partnership, convened by the National Quality Forum, is a multi-stakeholder group including organizations representing the interests of consumers, purchasers, healthcare providers and professionals, state-based associations, community collaborative and regional alliances, government agencies, health plans, accreditation and certification bodies, and supplier and industry groups.
http://www.qualityforum.org/Setting_Priorities/NPP/National_Priorities_Partnership.aspx
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