Health Policy Blog

Several participants who have been involved in developing the recommendations of the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center are available for comment on health care reform issues. Their brief biographies are included below, along with sample audio files from their panel participation at the 2008 Mayo Clinic National Symposium on Health Care Reform.

Joseph Antos, Ph.D. – Audio Sample
Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy
American Enterprise Institute

Joseph Antos, Ph.D., is the Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at American Enterprise Institute. He also is a commissioner of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, and an adjunct professor at the School of Public Health of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Antos’ previous positions include assistant director for Health and Human Resources at the Congressional Budget Office, as well as senior positions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Management and Budget, and the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Andrew Mekelburg – Audio Sample
Vice President, Federal Government Relations
Verizon Communications Inc.

Andrew Mekelburg is vice president for Federal Government Relations for Verizon, where he is responsible for working with Congress and the administration on non-telecommunications issues such as health care, education, labor, human resources and government procurement issues. His recent efforts include working on the Federal Commission on Systemic Interoperability and the American Health Information Community to speed up the adoption of information technology into the health care industry. Mekelburg is also chairman of the Corporate Health Care Coalition, which worked to establish the employer subsidy in the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act.

Randall Moore, M.D. — Audio Sample
American Telecare

Randall Moore, M.D., president, CEO, and chairman of American TeleCare, Inc., has more than 20 years of experience working as both a physician and an executive in the medical industry. Dr. Moore managed his own consulting firm, helping clients such as Pfizer, The Zitter Group, Novartis and Protocare Sciences with new business development, disease management, managed care application and board management. He also was a senior vice president of Integrated Medical Development for MedPartners; and vice president and chief medical officer of Caremark International. His work has included medical writing and board development and membership, including serving on the board of an 800,000-member health plan.

Michael Morrow — Audio Sample
Senior Vice President, Business Development and Network Management
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota

As senior vice president for Business Development and Network Management, Michael Morrow is responsible for all network management functions, business development and strategies for controlling health care costs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross). He also serves as chief executive officer of several subsidiary businesses including Blue Plus (Blue Cross’ HMO organization), MII, Incorporated and MII Life. Morrow also serves on the boards of directors for Blue Cross subsidiaries Consumer Aware and Comprehensive Managed Care.

John Rother — Audio Sample
Group Executive Officer of Policy and Strategy
AARP

As group executive officer of Policy and Strategy for AARP, John Rother is responsible for the federal and state public policies of the Association, for international initiatives, and for formulating AARP’s overall strategic direction. Having served as counsel for Labor and Health as well as the Special Committee on Aging for eight years in the U.S. Senate, Rother is an authority on Medicare, managed care, long-term care, Social Security, pensions and the challenges facing the boomer generation.

Stephen Shortell, Ph.D. — Audio Sample
Editor, Health Services Research
Division of Health Policy and Administration
UC Berkeley School of Public Health
University of California Berkeley

Stephen Shortell, Ph.D., is the Blue Cross of California Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management and professor of Organization Behavior at the School of Public Health and Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley. He is also the Dean of the School of Public Health at Berkeley. Dr. Shortell has completed extensive research identifying the organizational and managerial correlates of quality of care and of high performing health care organizations. He has received numerous awards, including the Baxter-Allegiance Prize for contributions to health services research and the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Association for Health Services Research.

Nicholas Wolter, M.D. — Audio Sample
Chief Executive Officer
Billings Clinic

As chief executive officer of Billings Clinic, Nicholas Wolter, M.D., heads the largest and most fully integrated health system in the northern intermountain Rocky Mountain states. Dr. Wolter serves as a member of the boards of directors of the American Hospital Association and of the American Medical Group Association. He is serving his second term as a commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In 2004, Dr. Wolter was recognized by the Medical Group Management Association as Physician Executive of the Year.