UHC Names Richard Paul Lofgren Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer

CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- UHC announces the appointment of Richard Paul Lofgren, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P. as senior vice president and chief clinical officer, effective March 19. Dr. Lofgren has more than 30 years of experience in academic medicine and the health care industry, including directing operations for clinical services at a number of academic medical centers.

Dr. Lofgren will be responsible for assisting the UHC membership improve the operational efficiencies, quality, safety and effectiveness of their clinical services as they transform their health care delivery systems.  The scope of responsibilities will include health care delivery redesign and innovation, operational efficiencies; performance improvement, and applied health services/quality research.

Dr. Lofgren's responsibilities will also include leading UHC's extensive quality improvement resources, including the organization's Faculty Practice Solutions Center's physician practice benchmarking and data services; the Imperatives for Quality performance management program, which provides best practices and proven improvement collaboratives and supports national initiatives; and patient safety tools and resources offered through the Patient Safety Net, as well as UHC's role as a Patient Safety Organization, designated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Lofgren will support members' medical and administrative leadership through networking and research in areas critical to their success and will oversee the well-respected annual Quality and Accountability Study. He also will focus on the expansion of UHC's integrated comparative data and performance improvement solutions covering the continuum of care and addressing the needs of complex health care systems.  

"With his deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced by academic medical centers and his experience in health system redesign, Rick will be a valuable asset to UHC and its members," said Irene Thompson, UHC president and chief executive officer. "He will help members fine-tune their focus on clinical and operational performance improvement, bolstered by UHC's robust analytic resources, and provide a strong voice for our members' critical leadership roles in the nation's health care."

Previously, Dr. Lofgren served as vice president of health care operations, chief clinical officer at UK Healthcare at the University of Kentucky. He also is a tenured Professor of Medicine at University of Kentucky. He is board certified in internal medicine and earned a medical degree from University of Michigan, as well as a Masters of Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He have received many grants and awards and authored numerous published articles and papers.  

"As a physician, administrator and teacher, I am looking forward to this new role where I can bring my front-line experience and operational acumen together to benefit and support the country's leading academic medical centers," said Dr. Lofgren. "I have been privileged to work at UK Healthcare and other prestigious academic medical centers, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to more broadly support UHC members' provision of superior patient care."

About UHC

UHC is an alliance of the nation's leading nonprofit academic medical centers, which are focused on delivering world-class patient care. Based in Chicago, Ill, UHC fosters collaboration with and among its 116 academic medical center and 259 affiliated hospital members through its renowned programs and services in the areas of comparative data and analytics, performance improvement, supply chain management, strategic research, and public policy. UHC helps its members achieve excellence in quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Formed in 1984, UHC's membership includes more than 90% of the nonprofit academic medical centers in the United States. For more information, visit uhc.edu.

SOURCE UHC

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