Washington,
D.C.—The American
Health Quality Association’s
Membership Council has
elected Dr. Dale Bratzler,
D.O., M.P.H., as president
of the Association. Dr.
Bratzler is a leading performance
measurement and quality
improvement researcher.
The
Membership Council, the
Association’s
newly-formed governing
body, also chose Dr. Jonathan
Sugarman as its president-elect.
Dr. Sugarman—CEO
of Qualis Health, the Medicare
Quality Improvement Organization
for Washington, Idaho,
and Alaska— will
assume AHQA’s presidency
when Dr. Bratzler’s
term concludes in March
2005. Elections for AHQA’s
new leaders took place
at the Association’s
recent annual meeting in
Kansas City.
AHQA is the
national membership organization
representing
independent Quality Improvement
Organizations (QIOs) and
professionals dedicated
to improving health care
delivery and patient safety.
QIOs provide expertise
in clinical care, quality
improvement, health information
management, and communications
to physicians, providers,
and health care purchasers.
Under contract to the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid
Services at HHS, QIOs implement
quality improvement programs
for 40 million Medicare
beneficiaries nationwide.
Dr.
Bratzler is recognized
nationally as a leading
performance measurement
and quality improvement
researcher who has served
since 1994 as Principal
Clinical Coordinator for
the Oklahoma Foundation
for Medical Quality, Inc.
Responsible for clinical
management of the Health
Care Quality Improvement
Program for Oklahoma, he
also provides clinical
and technical support for
the Medicare National Pneumonia
Project and the Medicare
Surgical Infection Prevention
Project.
“We can no longer be satisfied
with small performance
improvements. Health care
knowledge and technology
have advanced to the point
where incremental progress
is not enough. By working
in partnership with the
federal government, health
care providers, and others
leading quality improvement,
we need to pursue real
breakthroughs that will
dramatically advance care
delivery in all of the
settings that patients
receive treatment,” Dr.
Bratzler said.
Dr. Bratzler
received his D.O. degree
from the University
of Health Sciences, College
of Osteopathic Medicine
in Kansas City, and his
M.P.H. from the Oklahoma
University Health Sciences
Center, College of Public
Health. He is board certified
in internal medicine and
licensed to practice medicine
in Oklahoma.
Jonathan Sugarman,
M.D, M.P.H., became Qualis
Health’s
President and CEO in 2000
after serving as the corporate
medical director for five
years. Dr. Sugarman, a
clinical professor in family
medicine and epidemiology
at the University of Washington,
is nationally recognized
for his research and advocacy
related to health care
quality for a broad range
of acute and chronic conditions.
His most recent work has
focused on diabetes and
end-stage renal disease.
He received his medical
degree from the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine
of Yeshiva University,
his Master of Public Health
degree from the University
Of Washington School of
Public Health, and his
Bachelor of Arts from Harvard
College.
“The next several
years hold the promise
of significant
advances in policy, technology,
and stakeholder engagement
related to many issues
of interest to AHQA and
its members. Our expertise
related to areas such as
quality measurement and
reporting, effective implementation
of electronic health records,
and assuring that a Medicare
drug benefit results in
improvements in the quality
of care, will raise the
national profile of Quality
Improvement Organizations.
I look forward to working
with Dr. Bratzler and others
in the AHQA community to
help bring to bear the
talents and capacity of
AHQA’s members to
bridge the quality chasm
in American health care,” Dr.
Sugarman said.
The new AHQA
Membership Council, comprised
of representatives
from QIOs, appoints individuals
to the Association’s
Board of Directors and
elects the president. The
new structure will allow
AHQA to respond more quickly
to major, rapid changes
in the health care system.
AHQA is celebrating its
30th year representing
the country’s leading
professionals dedicated
to improving the quality
of health care delivered
to Americans.
