J. James Rohack, MD, FACC, FACP, has been named chief health policy officer for Baylor Scott & White Health, the newly formed parent company for the combined health systems of Scott & White Healthcare and Baylor Health Care System. As chief health policy officer, Dr. Rohack, a practicing cardiologist, will guide the new organization's research and academic efforts to improve care while reducing costs.
"We're developing new models of care for a new era in health care," says Dr. Rohack. "I'm looking forward to sharing our successes, and educating the public and policy makers on how we're achieving better outcomes and more efficient health care and what needs to be done to sustain and spread those advances."
Dr. Rohack is well versed in health care policy and direction. He served as president of the American Medical Association from 2009 to 2010, during the national debate over health care reform and the Affordable Care Act. He also served as president of the Texas Medical Association as well as the American Heart Association-Texas Affiliate. He currently serves as the director of the Scott & White Center for Healthcare Policy and as the medical director for system improvement of the Scott & White Health Plan — a not-for-profit health insurance plan that is nationally recognized for delivering quality health care.
"The coming together of Scott & White Healthcare and Baylor presents a tremendous opportunity to try new ideas and lead the national discussion on health care, and that's exactly what we intend to do," explains Dr. Rohack.
In addition to being an accomplished cardiologist, health care policy researcher and physician leader, Dr. Rohack is a professor in both the departments of Medicine and Humanities at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. At Scott & White Healthcare, Dr. Rohack is the inaugural holder of the William R. Courtney Centennial Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities. An Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas at El Paso, Dr. Rohack's lifetime commitment to advancing educational standards includes serving on several state and national medical education committees and boards.
He has been recognized as one of the "50 Most Powerful Physician Executives in Healthcare" and "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare and Modern Physician magazines, both widely read health care industry trade publications. He has also been listed as one of "America's Top Physicians," "Top Cardiologists" and has been named a "Super Doctor" by Texas Monthly.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Nikki Mitchell
nikkimit@baylorhealth.edu
office: (214) 820-6961
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com