FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2013
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NATIONAL QUALITY FORUM APPOINTS TRENTON HEALTH TEAM DIRECTOR TO HEALTHCARE WORKGROUP AND TASK FORCES

Efforts will focus on healthcare quality policy
for people receiving both Medicaid and Medicare

TRENTON, N.J. -- The National Quality Forum (NQF) has appointed Dr. Ruth Perry, executive director of the Trenton Health Team, to its national healthcare workgroup and two subcommittees, where she will provide her expertise to inform national healthcare quality. Dr. Perry will serve as a subject matter expert for the Dual Eligibility Beneficiaries Workgroup, part of the NQF's Measure Applications Partnership (MAP). The workgroup focuses specifically on quality of care for Medicare/Medicaid dual eligible beneficiaries across the care spectrum, developing quality measurement frameworks to improve health outcomes for dual eligible beneficiaries.

 

In addition to this three-year appointment, Dr. Perry will serve on two new time-limited task forces sponsored by MAP: the Health Insurance Exchanges and the Medicaid Task Forces, which will provide input on the Health Insurance Exchange Quality Rating System and the Medicaid Adult Core Measure Set.

 

The National Quality Forum is a nonprofit public service organization committed to transforming the healthcare system by developing and recommending performance measures to evaluate how well services are delivered.

 

MAP is a public-private partnership that supplies the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with informed healthcare knowledge to help achieve the department's three goals: better care, healthy people/community and affordable care. Dr. Perry also shares these goals as part of THT's mission to transform healthcare for Trenton's significant Medicaid and Medicare population.

 

Since April 2011, as executive director of the Trenton Health Team, Dr. Perry has focused on making nation-leading innovative improvements in healthcare. Since her tenure at THT began, she has drawn upon her 25 years of experience as an urban emergency room physician and corporate healthcare leader to solidify THT's infrastructure and implement healthcare changes to improve lives in the Trenton community.  

 

"One of the key goals of the Trenton Health Team is to overcome obstacles to quality healthcare by expanding access to care, providing community-wide clinical care coordination and engaging our community. These goals lay the foundation for the Trenton Health Team to become a Safety-net Accountable Care Organization, focusing on improving health outcomes, increased patient satisfaction and lower health care costs," said Dr. Perry. "The efforts of this pioneering healthcare collaborative to ensure that Trenton's residents receive the best possible healthcare can inform others throughout the nation on approaches that work on the ground, despite what previously seemed to be insurmountable challenges."  

 

David Knowlton, president and CEO of the N.J. Health Care Quality Institute, who recommended Dr. Perry for the Workgroup position, said, "Dr. Perry brings a broad spectrum of healthcare experience and vision, having served in a leadership role in corporate environmental health and safety and as an emergency room physician prior to leading the Trenton Health Team. Her rich background will enable her to contribute significantly to this national effort to ensure quality healthcare outcomes."

About the Trenton Health Team

Trenton Health Team (THT) is an alliance of the city's major providers of healthcare services including Capital Health, St. Francis Medical Center, Henry J. Austin Health Center and the city's Health Department. In collaboration with residents and the city's active social services network, THT is developing an integrated healthcare delivery system to transform the city's fragmented primary care system and restore health to the city. THT aims to make Trenton the healthiest city in the state. The THT receives generous support from The Nicholson Foundation, corporate partners and other foundations. For more information, visit www.trentonhealthteam.org or connect with us using the social media links below.

 

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 Media queries, please contact: Becky Taylor, 609-240-6886, or becky@btaylorpa.com
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