January 13, 2004
Joseph Newhouse, Ph.D., Harvard Health Economist, Joins NCQA Board of Directors
New Board member leading authority on relationship between pay, performance
WASHINGTON—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced today that Joseph P. Newhouse, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading health economists, a widely respected health policy researcher and a member of several advisory panels that help shape key public health programs, has recently joined its Board of Directors. Newhouse’s expertise is expected to help advance NCQA’s efforts related to aligning pay with performance and building a stronger business case for quality.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Newhouse to the NCQA Board,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “No one understands better the challenges or the importance of getting the market to focus on value instead of cost or quality alone. I look forward to working together to change the way people look at and purchase health care.”
Newhouse is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy and Management, Director of the Division of Health Policy Research and Education at Harvard University and also holds teaching and research positions at Harvard Medical School, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Harvard School of Public Health and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
Newhouse is internationally recognized for his research into risk adjustment for reimbursement of health plans and health providers and the impact of managed care on use of services, cost and quality of care. He is widely published in these and other areas.
In addition, Newhouse is a member of numerous public and private commissions, and currently serves on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (and as its vice-chair from 1997–2001), the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“NCQA’s agenda is vitally important, its track record is impeccable, and its ‘partnership approach’ to driving change is right on target,” said Newhouse. “I look forward to helping advance that agenda and building an even stronger business case for quality.”
Newhouse fills a seat on the Board previously held by Alice G. Gosfield, Esq. Gosfield served as Board Chair for five years, and during that time, NCQA expanded its accreditation and certification programs into new areas, including human research protection and disease management. NCQA thanks her for her many contributions and commitment to its mission.
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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