George C. Halvorson of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Joins NCQA Board of Directors

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Dec 28, 2010, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, and OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 28, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is proud to announce its newest Board of Directors member - George C. Halvorson, chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. Halvorson was elected to the NCQA board on December 16, 2010.

NCQA is governed by an independent Board of Directors, which consists of 15 members plus the NCQA president. The NCQA board represents multi-stakeholder perspective of improving health care system quality through delivery system, reform and transparency. The board includes representatives from purchasers, clinicians, public policy experts, consumer groups and health systems. Kaiser Permanente is one of the most integrated health systems in the country.

"George Halvorson has worked for his whole career on strategies to ensure that patients get quality, affordable health care. He is a creative driver of change in the health care system and heads one of the leading health plans in the country," explains Margaret E. O'Kane, president of the National Committee for Quality Assurance. "We are proud and excited to have George join our Board of Directors and look forward to his contributions."

"I am deeply honored by the appointment to the NCQA Board of Directors, as a long time supporter of the important work of the NCQA in helping to drive quality improvement in health care," says Halvorson. "I am tremendously excited by the opportunity to work among an established Board of health care leaders all focused on the collaborative goal to help the nation position itself to better serve the health care needs of the nation."

In addition to the NCQA board, Halvorson serves on the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care, the American Hospital Association's Advisory Committee on Health Reform, and the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System. He serves on the America's Health Insurance Plans board and the Alliance of Community Health Plans board.

About NCQA

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, 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 recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. 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 informed health care choices.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente