ClearHealth Quality Institute Names Michael Gomes as CEO, Adds New Directors to the Advisory Board

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearHealth Quality Institute™ (CHQI), an independent health care accrediting body, has named Michael Gomes as Chief Executive Officer.  In addition, the company announced that is has added three new advisory board members.

As CEO, Gomes is responsible for providing strategic as well as day-to-day leadership of the company, in addition to helping guide future growth of the company's accreditation programs.

Gomes brings more than 35 years of experience in sales, business development, healthcare management and government relations to CHQI. He is a founding executive of BenefitMall and most recently served as President of its Benefits Division. During his nearly 20-year tenure, BenefitMall grew to become the nation's largest employee benefits general agency.

Gomes has also held senior executive roles with a number of other leading companies including Prudential HealthCare, Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the New Jersey Department of Insurance. He is an industry thought leader and a frequent speaker on topics related to healthcare reform and workforce solutions for small to medium-sized businesses.

"Michael is a strategic, innovative and tireless leader with proven experience in leading companies and I'm thrilled to have him join the team," said CHQI Founder Garry Carneal, JD, MA. "His appointment as CEO of ClearHealth Quality Institute comes at a very exciting and growth-oriented time – our recently launched Telemedicine Accreditation Program has drawn tremendous interest and we look forward to Michael's leadership in transforming and standardizing the way telemedicine is delivered."

The company also announced that Michael Gomes, Bill Lewis, MD and Monique Yohanan, MD have joined the CHQI Advisory Board effective immediately. The Advisory Board constitutes the governance arm that drives CHQI's business and operational decisions and is responsible for the appointment of all committees, their membership, and scope of work.

Dr. Bill Lewis is Senior Consultant on Telemedicine for Humana, Principal of WellMedCare Consulting and is nationally recognized for his expertise in telemedicine. In addition to his new position on the CHQI Advisory Board, he was recently appointed to serve as Chair to CHQI's new Accreditation Committee. Over the past year, he also served as co-chair of the CHQI Telemedicine Standards Committee. Previously, he served as the CMO of GlobalMed, a national telemedicine equipment and infrastructure company with a global presence. Dr. Lewis received his medical degree at the Ohio State University and completed his residency at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Lewis notes, "CHQI's Telemedicine Accreditation Program, and the Mental Health Parity Accreditation Program still under development, are creating national standards where none have existed before, thus filling regulatory, operational, and quality gaps with leading-edge accreditation requirements. I am looking forward to serving as CHQI's first chair of its Accreditation Committee, along with joining the Advisory Board. 

Dr. Monique Yohanan serves as Director, State Government Relations at MCG Health (part of the Hearst Health network). She assumed a leading role in creating clinical review standards for behavioral health and other specialties while working at MCG.  She received her medical degree at Brown University, completed her residency at Mount Auburn Hospital (Harvard University), held a geriatric fellowship at Stanford, and received a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine, and her clinical background includes faculty appointments at UCSF and Stanford, as well as having served as an Extended Care Medical Director at the Palo Alto U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Yohanan has given numerous invited lectures and courses at the annual APA meeting, as well as other national and state psychiatric meetings.

Dr.  Yohanan adds, "CHQI's accreditation mission is critical to promote clinical and financial outcomes, including value-based purchasing.  I have been impressed with how CHQI is updating the accreditation model as it moves key areas of health care to the next level."

Carneal notes, "CHQI is fortunate to have so many talented individuals support CHQI through its various Committees.  CHQI is appreciative of Drs. Lewis and Yohanan's commitment to promoting quality-based healthcare as national health care thought leaders."

To volunteer for a CHQI Committee or Advisory Board position, or to nominate someone, please email name, contact information and a brief bio to Brooke Byloff at [email protected]. To obtain more information about CHQI accreditation programs, please contact Lauren Neuvel, Director of Sales & Marketing, at (443) 808-1880 or via email at [email protected].

About ClearHealth Quality Institute™ (CHQI)

ClearHealth Quality Institute's (CHQI) mission is to promote quality-based practices for health plans, providers and other stakeholders across the United States and its territories. Our accreditation and certification programs help assess, track and report on trends to enhance key insurance and provider outcomes. CHQI also offers educational programs, publishes issue briefs and underwrites research to raise awareness of patient safety issues and promote best practices. The organization is governed by an independent board and committee system, which is open to a wide range of volunteer members to ensure transparency and accountability. CHQI provides resources to serve patients, providers, payers, government agencies, and other stakeholder groups. To learn more about CHQI, please contact us at (410) 756-1300, [email protected], or visit www.CHQI.com.

SOURCE ClearHealth Quality Institute

Related Links

http://www.CHQI.com