Shantanu Agrawal to Step Down as President and CEO of National Quality Forum, Christopher Queram Named by NQF Board of Directors as Interim CEO
Washington, DC – The National Quality Forum (NQF) today announced that President and CEO Shantanu Agrawal, MD, MPhil, will step down from his role by the end of the year to pursue a new opportunity in the private sector. Chris Queram has been appointed as interim CEO and will assume office on January 4, 2021 as NQF begins a nationwide search to find a successor. Cristie Travis, NQF Board Vice-Chair, will chair the Search Committee.
Dr. Agrawal was appointed as President and CEO in January 2017 and has provided key leadership as NQF continues to modernize measure endorsement and expand focus on achieving health equity. During his tenure at NQF, the organization’s leadership role within the healthcare ecosystem has taken center stage through convenings such as the Hospital Quality Star Rating Summit and the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Payment Summit. He has further worked toward successfully reducing measure endorsement time from 20 to 7 months.
“The Board of Directors and I are extremely grateful for Shantanu’s leadership, commitment, and passion in driving measurable health improvements over the last four years,” said Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, NQF Board Chair, and President, Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer, HCA Healthcare. “As a result, NQF is well positioned to continue driving consensus-based quality goals and leading the quality ecosystem forward.”
Dr. Agrawal’s leadership advanced NQF’s mission, vision, and values to better support a contemporary agenda focusing on improving health, care and equity. He has led collaboration of the broadest and most diverse set of stakeholders NQF has ever convened to develop and release The Care We Need, a comprehensive roadmap to align the healthcare community behind a common vision built on 20 years of concerted effort to make care safe, appropriate, and high value for all people. NQF’s new strategic plan provides a roadmap that positions the incoming President and CEO, the Board of Directors, staff, NQF Member organizations, and key stakeholders for continued success in advancing healthcare quality.
“It’s been an honor to lead this great organization and its committed staff. I offer my thanks to the NQF community, staff, Board, and membership for their tireless commitment to driving the quality field forward. Together we have made important progress toward realizing our vision that every person experiences high value care and optimal health outcomes,” said Dr. Agrawal.
As NQF begins its nationwide search to find a successor, Chris Queram brings pioneering leadership in performance measurement, quality improvement and value-based payment to his role in advancing the organization’s work. Mr. Queram previously served as President and CEO of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) since November 2005. An NQF Member, WCHQ is a voluntary consortium of organizations learning and working together to improve health and make healthcare better and more affordable for the people of Wisconsin. Mr. Queram has advised policymakers and served on numerous Boards and Commissions, including President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. He comes to the role with not only a deep, practical understanding of the multiple stakeholders in health and healthcare, but also a demonstrated commitment to health equity. He holds a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
“In the face of an ongoing pandemic, quality measurement—and NQF’s role in it—is more critical than ever. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the organization in this capacity and look forward to working closely with the NQF Board of Directors and leadership to build on the strong foundation,” said Mr. Queram.
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About National Quality Forum
The National Quality Forum (NQF) works with members of the healthcare community to drive measurable health improvements together. NQF is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization that gives all healthcare stakeholders a voice in advancing quality measures and improvement strategies that lead to better outcomes and greater value. Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.
