Appointments to Federal Health Services
Research Advisory Panel Includes
Consumer, Managed Care Representatives

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced 10 new members of the national advisory council for the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research -- including, for the first time, representatives of managed care organizations and the benefits programs of corporate industry.

AHCPR, a part of HHS' Public Health Service, is charged with supporting research designed to improve the quality of health care, reduce its cost and broaden access to essential services. The agency brings new insights to the daily needs of patients, medical practitioners, and purchasers of care through a broad program of research, clinical guidelines development and technology assessment.

Walter J. McNerney, M.H.A., professor of health policy at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, and currently a council member, was named chair of the advisory panel. His academic accomplishments are complemented by 20 years of practical experience as president of the Blue Cross Association.

Secretary Shalala said membership of the advisory council has been broadened to reflect the sweeping changes now occurring within America's health care system because of market forces and state health reform initiatives.

Assistant Secretary for Health Philip R. Lee, M.D., who is the director of the Public Health Service, said, "Because of the many health benefits programs offered to workers, American business and labor now share a growing interest in assuring that they receive the greatest possible value for their health care dollars. For this reason, the advisory council now includes, for the first time, the health care benefits manager for a Fortune 500 company who can bring the perspective of a major purchaser of health care services to decisions affecting AHCPR programs and policies."

In addition, according to AHCPR Administrator Clifton R. Gaus, Sc.D., "The advisory council reflects the growing importance of managed care by including a physician who is an expert in issues affecting the delivery of services in a managed care setting, a nurse who currently serves as manager of patient care services for a major managed care institution, and a leading academic researcher in the field of managed care."

Other first-time additions to the advisory council include: a consumer representative, a member from a major private health foundation, and a representative of a state health agency with experience in planning and executing health care reforms at the state level.

The new members of the council are:

• Robert A. Berenson, M.D., practicing physician, Chevy Chase, Md.
  
  
• Helen Darling, M.A., manager, Health Care Strategy and Programs, Xerox Corporation, Stamford, Conn.
  
  
• Nancy J. Kaufman, R.N., M.S., vice president, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  
  
• Robert M. Krughoff, president, Center for the Study of Services, Washington, D.C.
  
  
• Risa J. Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., associate executive vice president for health policy, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
  
  
• W. David Leak, M.D., medical director, Pain Control Consultants, Westerville, Ohio
  
  
• Harold S. Luft, Ph.D., acting director, Institute for Policy Studies, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, Calif.
  
  
• Edward B. Perrin, Ph.D., professor and chairman, Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
  
  
• Albert L. Siu, M.D., M.S.P.H., former deputy commissioner for clinical affairs, New York State Department of Health, and currently associate professor of medicine (on leave) at the University of California, Los Angeles
  
  
• Ellen B. White, R.N., M.B.A., vice president for patient care services, Dean Medical Center, Madison, Wis.

In addition to the newly appointed council members, Barbara J. McNeil, M.D., Ph.D., head, Department of Health Care Policy and professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., was reappointed to a second term. Other currently serving members are:

• F. Marian Bishop, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., chairman, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
  
  
• Linda Burnes Bolton, Dr.P.H., R.N., director, nursing and research development, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
  
  
• John W. Danaher, M.D., M.B.A., assistant to the president, New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Mass.
  
  
• Willian S. Kiser, M.D., vice chairman and chief medical officer, Primary Health Systems, L.P., Cleveland, Ohio
  
  
• Louis F. Rossiter, Ph.D., professor, Department of Health Administration, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.

Members of the National Advisory Council for Health Care Policy, Research and Evaluation are appointed to serve three-year terms. In addition to the 17 private-sector members, the following federal officials serve as ex officio members: director, National Institutes of Health; commissioner, Food and Drug Administration; administrator, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration; director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; administrator, Health Care Financing Administration; assistant secretary of defense (health affairs), Department of Defense; and chief medical officer, Department of Veterans Affairs.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: The National Advisory Council for Health Care Policy, Research and Evaluation will meet Monday, Jan. 23, 1995, from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., and Tuesday, Jan. 24 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at The ANA Hotel, 2401 M St. N.W., Washington, D.C. The meeting is open to the press.