FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention Announces New Chair of Value & Access Initiative
WASHINGTON, DC, July 25, 2019 – The National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention announced that Michael Cropp, MD, MBA, President & CEO of Independent Health will serve as the Chair of the National Forum’s Value & Access Initiative’s Steering Committee. He succeeds Jennifer G. Robinson, MD, MPH, founding Chair of the initiative. The transition will become official on August 1. Dr. Cropp has been a member of the National Forum Board of Directors and Value & Access Steering Committee since 2017.
“With Dr. Robinson’s leadership, we have taken a member suggestion and built one of the National Forum’s signature initiatives,” said John M. Clymer, Executive Director of the National Forum. “Her expertise and strategic vision have helped the Value & Access Initiative change the dynamic in value and access from friction that limited patient access to evidence-based treatments, to collaboration that has improved access.”
Under Dr. Robinson’s leadership, the National Forum has brought patients, providers, payers/purchasers, public health, and pharmaceutical/biotech stakeholders together in a learning and action collaborative that has:
- Built trust and fostered environment-changing dialog
- Influenced pricing on innovative therapies
- Expanded and strengthened stakeholder engagement with the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)
- Raised understanding of issues of value and access related to cardiovascular health
- Increased open communication across sectors and exchange of programming, events, tools & resources
“Dr. Cropp takes the helm of this multi-stakeholder initiative when it is ready to drive more consensus-driven changes to policies and systems that will improve people’s cardiovascular health,” Clymer added. “His leadership among payers will be especially valuable as the Value & Access Steering Committee encourages greater implementation of best practices to enhance health and well-being by supporting people’s access to evidence-based care that is appropriate for them.”
About Michael Cropp
Michael W. Cropp, MD, is the president and chief executive officer of Independent Health. Under his leadership, the organization delivers products and services that improve the health of almost 375,000 customers – and has been consistently recognized nationally for excellence in quality, service and innovation.
His focus on building leadership capacity for sustainable accountable quality care reaches beyond Western New York as he serves in leadership roles on the boards of national health care organizations, including America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Dr. Cropp is chairman of the Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP). In addition, he has established several community initiatives to improve access, quality and affordability of health care. He is the founding chairman of the P2 Collaborative of Western New York – one of the original grantees in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) grant. He is also the founding chairman of the Western New York Clinical Information Exchange (HEALTHeLINK), a consortium of multiple community stakeholders working to provide electronic access to health information across our entire community – a recipient of the government’s Beacon Community award.
Dr. Cropp’s approach of engaging physicians as partners, implementing initiatives with community-minded results, and focusing on customer-centric ideals have earned Independent Health both local and national recognition. For three consecutive years, Independent Health is the highest ranked health insurance plan in the New York/New Jersey region by J.D. Power and Associates Member Health Insurance Plan StudySM. The company has also maintained “Excellent” accreditation status with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent organization that evaluates health plans throughout the country. In 2009 and 2010, Independent Health was the highest rated health plan in the nation for customer service according to NCQA’s Quality Compass®.
Dr. Cropp received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Brown University and completed his residency in family practice at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which is affiliated with Brown University. In addition to his medical education and training, Dr. Cropp earned an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
About the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention
The National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention brings together the most dynamic and diverse organizations in cardiovascular health, providing a forum and outlet for organizations to amplify their voices. Our members currently represent more than 90 national and international organizations from public and private healthcare organizations, as well as faith, advocacy, academic, and policy settings. The National Forum is an independent non-profit, 501(c)(3), voluntary health organization. To learn more, visit www.nationalforum.org.
Contact:
Jen Childress
jen.childress@nationalforum.org
(515) 422-4498
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