New AHRQ Director Named
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that Richard Kronick, Ph.D., will become the next Director of AHRQ. Dr. Kronick joined the Department in January 2010 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, overseeing the Office of Health Policy. In that role, he has conducted and coordinated research on policies relating to public health; health care delivery; health insurance; and health care financing programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and private insurance coverage. Prior to joining HHS, Dr. Kronick conducted health policy research in academia as well as in federal and state government, including as Director of Policy and Reimbursement for the Medicaid Division of the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, and most recently, as a Professor and Chief of the Division of Health Care Sciences in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
ONC taps Grand Junction, Colo.’s Gregory Reicks, DO, as Health IT Fellow
Gregory Reicks, DO, of Foresight Family Physicians in Grand Junction, Colo., has been named a Health IT Fellow by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). This exclusive group which is all volunteers, will promote and focus attention on success stories, tools and technical assistance to help providers more meaningfully use health information technology (health IT) to enhance patient engagement and experience in the delivery of patient care. The Health IT Fellows are practicing health care professionals dedicated to innovation and improvement in patient care through the use of technology. All were selected for their proficiency in the meaningful use of health IT to improve care; and for their experience and expertise, which can help other practices to replicate their success and to identify solutions to common problems. Each understands how health IT can drive care delivery transformation and reform traditional payment methods and models. Read the press release.
NYeC Appoints Paul Francis and Michael Golden to Board of Directors
The New York eHealth Collaborative recently announced the appointment of Paul Francis and Michael Golden to the NYeC Board of Directors. Paul Francis is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Guarini Center on Environmental and Land Use Law. Michael Golden is the Vice Chairman of the New York Times Company, a position he has held since 1997. Read the press release.
White House Hires Clinton Healthcare Expert
Reuters reported the White House has hired a widely respected policy expert from the Clinton administration to help coordinate final implementation of “Obamacare.” Chris Jennings, a lobbyist who spent six years as a senior adviser to former President Bill Clinton, is among a group of new healthcare-related staff expected to formally join the Obama White House.
PCCI Adds Global Leader in Technology Innovation to Executive Team
PCCI, a leading non-profit healthcare analytics research and development firm, announced the appointment of Vaidyanatha Siva, MBA as Chief Operating Officer. With deep experience in building and scaling innovative technological solutions and companies, Mr. Siva’s main focus will be to scale PCCI’s products and services internationally.
McLaren Health Care Names New Chief Medical Officer
McLaren Health Care has selected Michael McKenna, M.D., as chief medical officer to help manage key functions, including the creation, measurement and oversight of initiatives that enhance and integrate clinical quality, ensure patient safety and satisfaction, and promote physician engagement. McLaren is one of the largest health care providers in the state with a system that reaches more than half of Michigan residents through more than 200 locations, 17,400 employees and 21,000 network physicians. Read the press relesase.
See previously reported hires and appointments on the next pages.