Washington, DC - The National Quality Forum (NQF) elected three new members to its Board of Directors at its July 2014 Board meeting; their service on the NQF multi-stakeholder Board will begin on November 5, 2014.
Composed of 32 voting members, the NQF Board provides organizational guidance on strategic and policy issues. Representatives include key public- and private- sector leaders who represent a wide range of major stakeholders in America’s healthcare system. Consumers and those who purchase healthcare on their behalf hold a simple majority of the Board seats.
“NQF’s Board brings such rich, varied experience which is invaluable in guiding the organization in this ever changing environment,” said Christine Cassel, MD, NQF president and CEO. “Along with existing Board members, our new Board members will further alignment with respect to quality improvement priorities and approaches, as well the measures that undergird such efforts.”
The newly elected members include:
Laurel Pickering, President & CEO, Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH): During her tenure at NEBGH, Ms. Pickering has focused on mobilizing the business community to drive improvement in healthcare, providing access to health insurance for small businesses by creating a health insurance exchange and organizing health plans to work together to improve quality. Ms. Pickering is chair of the Board of Directors of the NEBGH subsidiary, HealthPass, a health insurance exchange for small businesses. Ms. Pickering currently serves on NCQA’s Standards Committee, the Board of Directors of The Leapfrog Group, the National Business Coalition on Health, CDC’s Business and Labor Responds to AIDS Board of Business and Labor Partners, the Commissioner of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Advisory Council, and the Community Advisory Committee of the New York State Health Foundation.
Lewis G. Sandy, Senior Vice President, Clinical Advancement, UnitedHealth Group. An internist and former health center medical director at the Harvard Community Health Plan in Boston, Dr. Sandy is a principal in the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization, with a focus on payment/delivery innovation and policy. In 2003, he was named executive vice president and chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group’s business focusing on the employer/individual health benefits market, a position he held until 2007. He also served as executive vice president of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation from 1997 to 2003. Dr. Sandy received his B.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University. Dr. Sandy served his internship and residency at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He is a senior fellow of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management.
Kirsten Sloan, Senior Director of Policy Analysis and Legislative Support, The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Appointed to her role in 2013, Ms. Sloan leads ACS Cancer Action Network’s policy efforts in support of the organization’s extensive federal, state and local advocacy agendas. Prior to joining ACS CAN, Ms. Sloan was vice president of the National Partnership for Women & Families with responsibility for the organization's multi-faceted health portfolio. She has also served as director of federal health issues for AARP. Earlier in her career at AARP, Ms. Sloan worked as the national coordinator for health issues, the health team deputy director, chief Medicare lobbyist, and as a legislative specialist with a special focus on the Catastrophic Coverage Act. She also was a legislative aide for Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA). Ms. Sloan is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.
Two members were re-elected for second terms:
In addition, the Board approved the Governance Committee’s recommendation that Helen Darling (board chair), Richard Umbenstock (vice-chair), and Lawrence Becker (treasurer) each serve a third term on the Board in order to ensure continuity and participate in succession planning.
The newly elected members will serve a three-year term starting on November 5, 2014, joining the rest of the NQF Board which includes:
- Helen Darling, MA (Chair), National Business Group on Health
- Richard J. Umbdenstock, FACHE (Vice-Chair), American Hospital Association
- Lawrence M. Becker (Treasurer), Xerox Corporation
- Christine Cassel, MD, National Quality Forum
- James Chase, Minnesota Community Measurement
- Jack Cochran, MD, FACS, The Permanente Federation
- Maureen Corry, Childbirth Connection
- Carol Cronin, Informed Patient Institute
- Leonardo Cuello, National Health Law Program
- Joyce Dubow, American Association of Retired Persons
- Elizabeth Fowler, PhD, JD, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc.
- Robert Galvin, MD, MBA, The Blackstone Group
- Marjorie Ginsburg, Center for Healthcare Decisions
- Ardis D. Hoven, MD, American Medical Association
- Karen Ignani, America's Health Insurance Plans
- Donald Kemper, Healthwise, Inc.
- William Kramer, Pacific Business Group on Health
- Harold D. Miller, MS, Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform
- Dolores L. Mitchell, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission
- Elizabeth Mitchell, Network for Regional Health Improvement
- Mary Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, New Courtland Center for Transitions & Health
- J. Marc Overhage, MD, PhD, Siemens Medical Solutions, Inc.
- Louise Probst, St. Louis Business Health Coalition
- David Shahian, MD, Center for Quality and Safety Massachusetts General Hospital
- Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, America's Essential Hospitals
- Marilyn Tavenner, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Richard Kronick, PhD, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, Health Resources and Service Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ex Officio, Non-Voting Members
- Cristie Upshaw Travis, Memphis Business Group on Health
Chair, Consensus Standards Approval Committee
- Paul C. Tang, MD, MS, Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Chair, Health Information Technology Advisory Committee
The National Quality Forum leads national collaboration to improve health and healthcare quality through measurement.
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