New Members Named to URAC's Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Today URAC announced five new members of the organization's Board of Directors, representing interests from the pharmacy management, insurance and public spheres.

The 24-member URAC Board of Directors provides oversight and guidance to the independent, nonprofit organization which promotes health care quality through its accreditation and education programs. URAC is well-known for its multi-disciplinary approach to setting accreditation standards.

"These new members represent a range of expertise that will complement the diverse experience of other board members," said Robert L. Crocker, MD, chairman of URAC's Board of Directors and chief medical officer for American Specialty Health. "URAC is bringing new accreditation products to market, such as pharmacy benefit management and drug therapy management, which are designed to protect and empower the consumer. We look forward to the active involvement and insight our new board members will bring to the table."

    The new members are:
    -- John D. Jones, RPh, JD, vice president of professional practice and
       pharmacy policy for Prescription Solutions, nominated by the Academy of
       Managed Care Pharmacy.  Prior to his position at Prescription
       Solutions, he served as director of pharmacy relations for Blue Shield
       of California.  Jones is both a pharmacist and an attorney with
       experience in managed health care regulation, pharmacy health
       insurance, health care contracting and interstate regulatory compliance
       for PBMs and health plans. Jones serves as chairman of URAC's Pharmacy
       Benefit Management Advisory Committee, the 34-member multi-stakeholder
       body that worked intensively in a year-long effort to advise URAC on
       the development of accreditation standards, released in July 2007.  He
       is a frequent writer and lecturer on prescription benefit management
       policy and quality strategies.

    -- Debra A. Keiser, CRC, CCM, vice president, worldwide medical manager
       for Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, representing the American
       Insurance Association.  Prior to joining Chubb in 1994, she was
       executive vice president, sales, marketing and strategic planning for
       Focus Healthcare Management.  She holds a master of science in
       counseling and human relations and a bachelor of science degree in
       psychology.  Keiser is a certified rehabilitation counselor and
       certified case manager.  Her white paper, "Lessons Learned from the
       9/11 Catastrophe" was published through the Workers Compensation
       Research Institute.

    -- Steven Kreisberg, health care policy and collective bargaining director
       of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
       (AFSCME), AFL-CIO since 1994.  Prior to that, he served on the staffs
       of the American Nurses Association and the National Treasury Employees
       Union, and was executive director of the National Federation of Federal
       Employees.  He has been a full-time professional in the labor movement
       since 1981.  Kreisberg holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell
       University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and has served on
       the school's Alumni Board of Directors.

    -- Marcy Morrison, commissioner of insurance for the Colorado Division of
       Insurance, representing the National Association of Insurance
       Commissioners.  Morrison served as a county commissioner from 1984 to
       1992, and served from 1992 to 2000 in the Colorado House of
       Representatives, chairing the Health Environment, Welfare and
       Institutions Committee, which had legislative oversight of the Colorado
       Departments of Human Services, Public Health and Environment, and
       Health Care Policy and Financing. She served on Colorado Springs'
       Memorial Hospital board of directors for seven years, serving as chair
       of its Government Relations Committee for four years. In November 2000,
       she was elected mayor of Manitou Springs, CO. Prior to her appointment
       as commissioner of insurance, she served as chair of the Division of
       Insurance's volunteer Consumer Council and is a consumer
       representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

    -- Vernon C. Rowen, vice president for government affairs of Express
       Scripts, Inc., nominated by the Pharmaceutical Care Management
       Association (PCMA).  In his position at Express Scripts he is
       responsible for managing corporate legislative and regulatory
       initiatives such as state and federal government relations, public
       policy, political action, community involvement and trade association
       activities.  Prior to joining Express Scripts in 2000, he represented
       health plan and health insurer interests with the state legislature and
       departments of insurance at the Health Insurance Association of America
       and the American Association of Health Plans.  He holds a bachelor of
       arts degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.

"The composition of the URAC Board of Directors is designed to reflect the providers, industry, and public stakeholders in the health care sectors it accredits and serves," said Alan P. Spielman, URAC's president and chief executive officer. In addition to subject matter experts, the board is composed of individuals representing its member organizations which include: American College of Physicians, America's Health Insurance Plans, American Health Quality Association, American Hospital Association, American Insurance Association, American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Case Management Society of America, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and the National Business Coalition on Health.

URAC board members are elected to serve a three-year term and are eligible for renewal upon re-nomination and re-election by the board. New board members and those elected as renewed members are, typically, elected by the board each spring. However, new members may be duly elected by the Board to fill vacancies, as applicable.

To read "Exploring URAC" go to: www.urac.org

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and certification 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.