URAC Announces Newly Elected Board of Directors Officers, Members and Corporate Member Organizations

(PRWEB) May 23, 2012

URAC, one of the nation’s premier health care accreditation organizations, announced the election of new officers and members to their Board of Directors at the annual meeting held in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2012. The URAC Board of Directors represents a broad spectrum of health care stakeholders, including consumers, providers, employers, health plans, care management organizations, regulators and industry experts in order to ensure an independent and well-balanced organization.

John D. Jones, RPh, JD, has been named Chair of its Board of Directors. Jones is the Senior Vice President of Professional Practice and Pharmacy Policy at OptumRx, a UnitedHealth Group Company, in Irvine, California, and previously served as URAC’s Vice Chair. Jones is a licensed pharmacist and attorney with over thirty-five years of experience in pharmacy practice, including working with independent community pharmacies, national chains, hospitals, home infusion organizations and managed care pharmacies. Representing the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, Jones replaces Marianne Fazen, PhD, who will stay on the Board as Immediate Past Chair.

“I look forward to serving as Chairman of the URAC Board of Directors, an organization that has been in existence for over twenty years and contributed so much towards the advancement of accreditation programs that ensure quality health care services to millions of Americans,” said Mr. Jones.

New appointments to the leadership of the URAC Board of Directors for 2012 include:

   •      Vice Chair - Kathryn Creech, Vice President, Health Services Organization, Humana Inc. (At-Large Representative)
   •     Immediate Past Chair - Marianne Fazen, PhD, Executive Director, Dallas/Fort Worth Business Group on Health (National Business Coalition on Health Representative)
   •     Treasurer - Kylanne Green, Chief Administrative Officer, Inova Health System (American Hospital Association Representative)
   •     Secretary - Marlin R. Mattson, MD, Associate Vice Chair for Compliance, Department of Psychiatry, NY-Presbyterian Hospital (American Psychiatric Association Representative)

New members added to the Board of Directors include:

   •      George Furlong, Chief Business Intelligence Officer, Universal SmartCorp (American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations Representative)
   •     Jonah C. Houts, Vice President, Government Affairs, Express Scripts, Inc. (Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Representative)
   •     Patricia F. Jones, RN, MBA, Healthcare Management Consultant, Technology Operations Solutions, Milliman (At-Large Representative)
   •     Christopher F. Koller, Health Insurance Commissioner, State of Rhode Island (National Association of Insurance Commissioners Representative)

“I am pleased to fill the NAIC’s seat on the URAC Board. NAIC has been a longstanding member organization of URAC,” said Christopher F. Koller, Health Insurance Commissioner, State of Rhode Island. “On behalf of the NAIC, I hope to provide helpful input in the development and advancement of URAC programs.”

Under URAC’s bylaws, member organizations, including prominent national health care organizations, designate representatives to the URAC Board. In addition, the URAC Board includes At-Large representatives who are not affiliated with member companies. The At-Large representatives have expertise in various aspects of the health care field, including benefit consulting, public policy, health information technology, consumer advocacy, quality, ethics, and labor matters. For 2012, the National Family Caregivers Association was approved as a new Corporate Member Organization to the URAC Board of Directors.

Finally, Board Members who will continue to serve include:

   •      Robert B. Doherty, Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, American College of Physicians (American College of Physicians)
   •     Harry M. Feder, MPA, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, IPRO (American Health Quality Association)
   •     Justine Handelman, Vice President Legislative & Regulatory Policy, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (Blue Cross Blue Shield Association)
   •     Gerald E. Harmon, MD (American Medical Association)
HAYES, Inc. (At-Large)
   •     Debra A. Hochron, CRC, CCM, Vice President, World Wide Medical Manager, Chubb & Son (American Insurance Association)
   •     Steven Kreisberg, Health Care Policy and Collective Bargaining Director, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (At -Large)
   •     Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, Executive Director, Case Management Society of America (Case Management Society of America)
   •     Bernard J. Mansheim, MD (At-Large)
   •     R. Douglas Metz, DC, Executive Vice President & Chief Health Services Officer, American Specialty Health (America’s Health Insurance Plans)
   •     Suzanne Mintz, President & Chief Executive Officer, National Family Caregivers Association (National Family Caregivers Association)
   •     Alan B. Rosenberg, MD, Vice President of Medical Policy, Technology Assessment & Credentialing, WellPoint (America’s Health Insurance Plans)
   •     Charles W. Stellar, Executive Vice President, America’s Health Insurance Plans (America’s Health Insurance Plans)
   •     David C. Wynstra (At-Large)

“We are honored to have such a distinguished group of leaders serve on URAC’s Board of Directors,” said President and CEO Spielman. “Their expertise and diverse backgrounds help URAC in its mission of improving the quality of care and empowering consumers, while maintaining balance and independence.”

URAC is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Its broad-based governance structure ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing relevant measures to evaluate health care quality. For more information, visit http://www.urac.org.

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