PORTLAND — Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO of the Maine Health Management Coalition and Foundation, has been selected to head the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement.

The national organization is dedicated to supporting the efforts of regional health improvement collaboratives working to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care, the coalition announced Thursday.

Since Mitchell took the helm of the Maine coalition in 2008, it has become one of the most respected and effective regional health improvement collaboratives in the United States, according to Harold Miller, outgoing president and CEO of the national network.

Last week, the coalition was named the state’s primary partner in a $33 million, three-year federal grant to fund healthcare innovation in MaineCare, the state’s version of Medicaid.

“Both the federal government and many other states see the coalition’s innovative programs in quality and cost measurement, employer and consumer engagement, and payment and delivery reform as models for improving both the quality and affordability of healthcare,” Miller said in a news release.

The coalition is an employer-led organization that includes health care providers and insurers dedicated to improving the quality of health care and lowering its cost.

Advertisement

The foundation publishes the getbettermaine.org website listing quality ratings for Maine hospitals and the majority of physician practices in Maine.

Mitchell will assume her new duties on May 1 but will remain with the Maine coalition on a part-time basis to assist in the implementation of the federal MaineCare innovation grant through the spring.

A national search firm has been retained to assist the coalition’s board of directors in selecting a new CEO.

Michael DeLorenzo, the coalition’s director of health analytics, has been appointed interim CEO.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.