Margaret E. O'Kane, President

Since 1990, Margaret E. O’Kane has served as President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of health care everywhere. Under Ms. O’Kane’s leadership, NCQA has developed broad support among the employer and health plan communities; today many Fortune 100 companies will only do business with NCQA Accredited health plans. About three quarters of the nation’s largest employers use Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) data to evaluate the plans that serve their employees.

Ms. O’Kane was named Health Person of the Year in 1996 by the journal Medicine & Health. She also received a 1997 Founder’s Award from The American College of Medical Quality, recognizing NCQA’s efforts to improve managed care quality. In 1999, Ms. O’Kane was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine, a highly-regarded organization of health care providers, researchers and others that is frequently called on to help shape national health care policy. In 2000, Ms. O’Kane received the Centers for Disease Control’s Champion of Prevention award, the agency’s highest honor. The CDC names a Champion of Prevention infrequently, and only when an individual has made a truly notable contribution to advancing preventive health care.

Ms. O’Kane began her career in health care as a respiratory therapist and went on to earn a master’s degree in Health Administration and Planning from the Johns Hopkins University.