Dive Brief:
- The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospital’s board of directors appointed 13 healthcare leaders to govern the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, Becker’s Hospital Review reported. The school is set to open in 2019.
- The appointees include six individuals from within the Kaiser system, as well as individuals from outside organizations. Dr. Holly J. Humphrey, dean for medical education at the University of Chicago, will serve as board chair.
- The health system announced its plan to open a medical school in December 2015, saying the aim is to incorporate its integrated healthcare delivery model into physician training.
Dive Insight:
Kaiser already operates a School of Allied Health Sciences in Richmond, California. The medical school could provide a steady infusion of new physicians for Kaiser trained in the concepts of population health management and cost efficiencies.
It should be noted the board contains individuals with resumes boasting companies such as PayPal, 23andMe and Microsoft Research. It denotes that the healthcare industry is changing and that students will need to be prepared for a tech-friendly environment. Whether it's digital health focusing on life sciences or digital payments or consumer electronics, the rapidly changing tech world is set to influence the healthcare industry.
The industry has already seen some change in this regard. Digital intake tools and utilizing technology to maximize patient throughput has helped some providers make financial gains. But, for the most part, there are still many wrinkles to be ironed out in the new healthcare environment. Kaiser's medical board picks, albeit implicitly, acknowledges the need for educating and understanding this new frontier.
Appointees to the medical school board are:
- Ronald L. Copeland, MD, senior vice president of national diversity and inclusion strategy and policy and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals;
- Patrick T. Courneya, MD, executive vice president for national health plan and hospital quality and CMO of Medicare Advantage, cost and prescription drug plans at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals;
- Imelda Dacones, MD, president and CEO of Northwest Permanente Medical Group;
- Edward M. Ellison, MD, executive medical director and chairman of board of Southern California Permanente Medical Group, chairman of the board of The Southeast Permanente Medical Group and co-national executive of The Permanente Foundation;
- Mary Hentges, retired chief financial officer at PayPal, CBS Interactive and YapStone;
- Holly J. Humphrey, MD, dean for medical education at the University of Chicago;
- Peter Lee, PhD, corporate vice president of Microsoft Research;
- Sharon Levine, MD, director and senior advisor for The Permanente Medical Group;
- Julie Miller-Phipps, president of the southern California region of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals;
- Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine;
- Gilbert Salinas, chief clinical officer at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center;
- Maria S. Salinas, president of Salinas Consulting; and
- Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe.