November 7, 2006
Gilbertson Joins NCQA Board of Directors
WASHINGTON— The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced today that Elizabeth B. Gilbertson has been named to its Board of Directors. Gilbertson is President of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union Welfare Fund, one of the largest union trust funds in the United States. She is also Co-Chair of the Las Vegas Health Services Coalition, a labor-management coalition that contract with hospitals and advocates for consumer interests in public policy matters related to health care.
Ms. Gilbertson spent ten years as Southwestern Regional Director for the HEREIU Welfare Fund with primary responsibility for Las Vegas, where the Fund covers a low-wage, immigrant population of 120,000 lives. Other professional experience includes representation of registered nurses in collective bargaining for the Connecticut Nurses Association and District 1199, New England (SEIU), as well as leadership of a non-profit, free-standing women’s health center.
“Betsy has demonstrated her commitment to patient-centered care and has been a staunch advocate for physician level measurement,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Her expertise in these areas makes her an ideal addition to our board.”
NCQA’s 16-member Board plays a key role in setting the organization’s agenda and oversees its work and programs. The group comprises influential individuals from across the country representing employers, consumer groups, health care organizations, academia and the public sector.
Currently, Gilbertson is a member of NCQA’s Purchaser Advisory Council and its National Forum on Physician Benchmarking, as well as the National Quality Forum (NQF) Ambulatory Care Steering Committee. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Smith College and Master’s Degree in Health Advocacy from Sarah Lawrence College, as well as an Associate Degree in Nursing.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation’s health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
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