Dr. Robert M. Honigberg Named URAC's Chief Medical Officer

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Mar 08, 2010, 09:35 ET

WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- URAC, the nation's leading health care accreditation and education organization, today announced the appointment of Robert M. Honigberg, M.D., M.B.A, as Chief Medical Officer. In his role, Dr. Honigberg will advise on quality measurement and clinical effectiveness research and will lead global wellness and health promotion initiatives for URAC.

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"We are pleased to have Robert as part of the URAC team. His in-depth knowledge of pharmaceutical research, medical technology, patient safety and medical communication will be invaluable as URAC continues to innovate and expand in the rapidly changing health care environment," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "We have a long history of leveraging the best minds in the industry through our many accreditation committees and partnerships. It is exciting to have Robert continue that tradition for URAC."

Reinforcing URAC's commitment to continuous improvement in the quality and efficiency of health care management, Dr. Honigberg will also provide strategic direction for the organization's research and measurement initiatives. This includes the new performance measures for URAC's Mail Service and Specialty Pharmacy accreditation programs, which will be released later this year.

Dr. Honigberg brings more than 18 years of experience in global medical affairs, technology innovation, clinical and medical economic trials, and health policy. He currently serves as Chief Medical Advisor for several biotechnology companies as the principal of MS&T Consulting.

"I am thrilled to bring my experience in patient safety and medical risk assessment process to URAC to further the goal of consumer protection and empowerment," said Dr. Honigberg. "Having led medical affairs for large companies, I know the value of measurable quality and clear benchmarks for success. Today's health care environment needs the transparency and accountability that URAC accreditation brings."

Dr. Honigberg was the Chief Medical Officer of Global Medical Affairs and Clinical Strategy at GE Healthcare. He was also the Vice President of Worldwide Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a Johnson & Johnson Company. In addition, Dr. Honigberg was Director of Clinical Affairs at Ortho Biotech, a Johnson & Johnson Company, and managed new business and product development for Schering-Plough's Oncology/Biotech business unit.

Currently, Dr. Honigberg serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for International Health and is also a founding member of the Steering Committee for the Aspen Health Stewardship Project at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D. C.

Dr. Honigberg conducted his internship and residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He earned a B.A. in Economics from Duke University, an M.D. from the Feinberg School of Medicine and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

SOURCE URAC