The Leapfrog Group Appoints Two New Members to Its Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), a national nonprofit organization advocating for improvements in patient safety and hospital transparency, has announced the election of two new members to its Board of Directors. Linda Schwimmer, vice president of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, and David Hopkins, senior advisor for the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), join the board effective immediately, bringing the total number of voting board members to 16.

The Leapfrog Group uses the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. Leapfrog's flagship Hospital Safety Score, which assigns A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,500 general hospitals nationwide based entirely on their ability to prevent errors, injuries and infections, is designed to bring increased transparency to healthcare, allowing both purchasers and patients to reward the highest performing hospitals.

"We have witnessed how increased transparency, allowing for informed decisions, can truly galvanize change.  But, as hospital errors remain the third leading cause of death in the U.S., we also know there is much work to be done.  We look forward to the fresh perspectives our new board members will bring to the table, particularly given both of their expertise in performance measurement and health policy" said Bill Finck, president of WHF Healthcare LLC and chair of Leapfrog's Board of Directors.

Bill Bonk, director of global benefits at Exelis and chair of Leapfrog's Governance Committee, which brought forward the slate of nominees, added, "With health care as one of the most pressing issues in America today, the importance of Leapfrog's role could not be clearer. Our incoming members thoroughly represent the type of forward thinking that can help us make even greater strides in the years ahead.  We're also pleased to continue and strengthen our relationships with the two organizations represented by Ms. Schwimmer and Mr. Hopkins, the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and the Pacific Business Group on Health."

The New Board Members:

Linda Schwimmer (Pennington, NJ)
Vice President, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
Linda Schwimmer is the vice president of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. The Quality Institute is a non-profit organization focused on improving the quality, safety and affordability of health care in New Jersey. Prior to joining the Quality Institute, Linda was Director of Strategic Relations & External Affairs at Horizon Healthcare Innovations, a subsidiary of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. There, Linda was on the leadership team that brought Accountable Care Organizations and the largest Patient Centered Medical Home program to New Jersey. Linda also served in State Government as Director of Legislation and Policy for the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, where she represented the Department's position before the State Legislature and worked with State and federal officials on priority legislative initiatives including the Affordable Care Act and reforms to the State's insurance and banking laws. Ms. Schwimmer's experience in State government also includes senior policy and counsel positions with the Senate Majority Office, Judiciary and Commerce Committees.

David Hopkins (San Francisco, CA)
Senior Advisor, Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH)
David S. P. Hopkins is a senior advisor for the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH). David advises PBGH on health care performance measurement and policy issues, and represents PBGH on regional measurement collaboratives and national policy-making bodies. Prior to joining PBGH in 1995, Hopkins was Vice President with International Severity Information Systems, Inc., a medical severity indexing software and consulting firm. From 1978 to 1993, he held a variety of senior management positions at Stanford University and Stanford University Medical Center, and was also a Director of Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). He is the former Chair of the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) Pay-for-Performance Technical Efficiency Committee and currently serves as a director of the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART).

About The Leapfrog Group

The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals, and the Hospital Safety Score (www.hospitalsafetyscore.org) publishes letter grades rating hospitals on how safe they are for patients. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.

CONTACT:
Erica Mobley
The Leapfrog Group
202-292-6713
[email protected]

Lauren Bercarich
Stern + Associates (on behalf of The Leapfrog Group)
908-276-4344, x202
[email protected]

SOURCE The Leapfrog Group