UHC President and CEO Irene Thompson Named to "Top 25 Women in Healthcare" List by Modern Healthcare

CHICAGO, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Irene Thompson, president and chief executive officer of UHC, has been named one of Modern Healthcare's "Top 25 Women in Healthcare."

"There were more than 500 submissions in our prestigious biennial program, which honors highly accomplished female health care executives who are making a positive difference in the industry," said Merrill Goozner, editor of Modern Healthcare. "The honorees are leaders from all sectors of health care, including hospitals, health systems, physician organizations, insurance, government, vendors and suppliers, trade and professional organizations, and patients' rights groups. Making this list is a testament to the incredible caliber of the honorees' work and the impact of their leadership."

Modern Healthcare's editors review the nominations and judge them based on several criteria, including their leadership within and outside the company, their ability to promote change in the health care industry, their willingness to share their expertise with others, and their service as role models or mentors to other female health care executives.

Thompson's leadership at UHC since 2007 has continued the organization's strong reputation for providing valuable health care performance improvement products and services, including comparative data in clinical, operational, faculty practice management, financial, patient safety, and supply chain areas.

"UHC has seen tremendous expansion and increased success during her tenure," said Steve Meuerer, UHC's senior vice president, Comparative Data & Informatics. "UHC has never had better engagement with our members and our financial success has outpaced a difficult budget in each of the last 5 years."

Under her guidance, UHC's membership has grown significantly, to 119 academic medical centers, representing the majority of the nation's nonprofit academic medical centers, and nearly 300 general hospital members. She oversees corporate operations and performance, formulates and executes the organization's strategy, and fosters member engagement to ensure that UHC delivers the highest value to its membership.

"Irene is a very highly regarded and respected leader in the health care industry, with particular attention paid to her by women in health care, both up-and-coming leaders as well as industry veterans," said Richard Lofgren, MD, senior vice president and chief clinical officer at UHC.

Before joining UHC in 2007, Thompson served as president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Hospital Authority for 11 years. Under her leadership, the hospital experienced a dramatic turnaround in quality of care, patient satisfaction, and revenue.

She currently serves on the board of directors for Novation, the National Center for Healthcare Leadership, and the American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate, for which she serves as chair of the board, and on national American Heart Association committees and task forces. She is also a member of the Administrative Board for the Association of American Medical Colleges' Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems (COTH) and the Executive Committee of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH).

About UHC
UHC, formed in 1984 and located in Chicago, Ill, is an alliance of the nation's leading nonprofit academic medical centers, which are focused on delivering world-class patient care. UHC fosters collaboration with and among its 119 academic medical centers and 293 affiliated hospital members through its renowned programs and services in the areas of comparative data and analytics, performance improvement, supply chain management, strategic research, and public policy. UHC helps its members achieve excellence in quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness. For more information, visit uhc.edu.

SOURCE UHC