Durenberger, Ness, Sleigh, Goss Named To NCQA Board Of Directors 1/7/2003
From: Brian Schilling or Barry Scholl, 202-955-5104 or 202-955-5197 both of the National Committee for Quality Assurance WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced today that four national health care leaders have been named to its Board of Directors: former United States Senator David F. Durenberger, Chairman and CEO of the National Institute of Health Policy (NIHP); Debra L. Ness, Executive Vice President of the National Partnership for Women and Families; Stephen R. Sleigh, Director of Strategic Resources for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; and William J. Goss, a health care business development consultant associated with Cain Brothers. NCQA's Board plays a key role in setting the organization's agenda and is broadly charged with overseeing its work and programs. The board is composed of 16 opinion and thought leaders from across the country, and includes employers, consumer groups, health care organizations, academia and public sector representatives (see attached). David F. Durenberger served as Senior United States Senator for Minnesota from 1978 to 1995. He is the current Chairman of NIHP, a joint program of the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota. The NIHP membership is composed of health care, health plan and business organizations in the upper Midwest whose goal is to reform the health care system from within, and thus influence national health policy change. During his tenure in the Senate, Durenberger assumed a leading role in national health policy, serving 16 years on the Senate Finance Committee and six years as Health Subcommittee Chair, along with eight years on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee. In addition to his current role with NIHP, Durenberger is active in a variety of organizations influencing health policy. He is a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Kaiser Foundation Commission on the Future of Medicaid and the Uninsured, and serves as Chair of Citizens for Long Term Care and President of the Medical Technology Leadership Forum. With former Senate colleague Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Durenberger co-chairs America's Health Together. "Senator Durenberger brings a vitally important public policy perspective to the Board," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "In an era when the federal government is poised to play a growing role in shaping health care delivery, that perspective-coupled with the rich private sector experience of other Board members-will prove especially valuable." Debra L. Ness is the Executive Vice President of the National Partnership for Women and Families, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that uses public education and advocacy to promote fairness in the workplace, quality health care and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family. She brings extensive NCQA experience to the Board, having chaired NCQA's Consumer Advisory Council and participated in the Expert Panel on Physician-Level Measurement and the Women's Health Measurement Advisory Panel. Ness' health care experience also includes membership on the board of The Leapfrog Group, as well as service in other capacities with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) and the National Quality Forum (NQF). Stephen R. Sleigh is the Director of Strategic Resources for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, a position he has held since 1994. He is the author of two books and numerous articles and policy reports. Sleigh presently serves on the executive board of the Industrial Relations Association and was a member of NCQA's Health Care Purchasers Advisory Council. Before assuming his current position, Sleigh was the Director of Research for the Teamsters Union and the Deputy Director of the Center for Labor-Management Policy Studies at the City University of New York. William J. Goss is a health care business development consultant and a principal with Cain Brothers, a health care investment banking firm assisting companies with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, capital financings and other transactions. Previously, he was Senior Vice-President of Strategy & Development for Value Health, a specialty managed care company, and was also founder and CEO of Value Health Management, an outsourced network management and information services company. Goss also served as Manager of Health Care Programs for General Electric and held CEO, COO, and CFO positions in several health maintenance organizations. "I'm thrilled that Debra Ness, Steve Sleigh and Bill Goss are joining the Board," said O'Kane. "Each is considered a national leader in their fields, and they share a deep commitment to improving the quality of health care at all levels of the system." With the addition of Durenberger, Ness, Sleigh and Goss, the following members have retired from the Board. NCQA thanks them for their valuable contributions and input, and wishes them well in their future endeavors: -- James Cubbin, J.D. -- David A. Kessler, M.D., J.D. -- Ira Millstein, J.D. NCQA also recognizes the efforts of Alice G. Gosfield, Esq., outgoing Board Chair, who served in that capacity for five years. Gosfield will continue to sit on the Board, and is succeeded as Chair by James P. Bradley, CEO of RxHub, who joined the board in January 2001. NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS(, the performance measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation's health plans. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. --- NCQA BOARD OF DIRECTORS James P. Bradley (Chair) -- RxHub Peter Clapman -- TIAA-CREF David F. Durenberger -- National Institute of Health Policy Robert S. Galvin, M.D. -- General Electric Alice G. Gosfield, Esq. -- Alice G. Gosfield & Associates William J. Goss -- Cain Brothers Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D. -- Tufts University School of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine Vincent E. Kerr, M.D. -- Ford Motor Company Peter V. Lee, J.D. -- Pacific Business Group on Health Robert J. Margolis, M.D. -- HealthCare Partners Medical Group Debra L. Ness -- National Partnership for Women & Families Margaret E. O'Kane -- NCQA Thomas Reardon, M.D. -- American Medical Association Stephen R. Sleigh -- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Ellen L. Stovall -- National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship I. Steven Udvarhelyi, M.D. -- Independence Blue Cross | |