The Leapfrog Group Announces New Board Chair

David Knowlton has been elected chair of The Leapfrog Group Board of Directors, effective June 17. Knowlton is president and CEO of the New Jersey Quality Institute, an advocacy organization that works with that state's most influential employers to drive healthcare improvement. Knowlton is also active on the national level representing private sector purchasers of healthcare in numerous forums, boards, and organizations.

Formerly Deputy Commissioner of Health for the state of New Jersey during the administration of Gov Tom Kean, he has been published numerous times on issues dealing with healthcare quality and management. He frequently speaks to national organizations and testifies on purchaser perspectives on healthcare reform. Knowlton has served on Leapfrog's board for the past seven years.

As president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute for the past five years, Knowlton has led the state's advocacy campaigns on healthcare quality, reduction of medical errors, and expansion of access. Knowlton also directs New Jersey's Leapfrog program by working with the state's most influential employers to encourage hospital participation in The Leapfrog Hospital Survey. In the early 1990s, Knowlton founded and served as executive director of the Health Care Payers Coalition of New Jersey, a nonprofit corporation representing business and labor organizations who provide healthcare. He remains a member of the coalition's Board and Executive Committee. He also serves as a director of the Healthwell Foundation, a national foundation that provides copayment relief to needy persons with chronic disease.

Knowlton has served as a member of numerous National Quality Forum Steering Committees as well. He is an advisor to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services on quality and healthcare rationalization issues, currently serving on three advisory committees at the request of the commissioner.

Source: The Leapfrog Group