OAKLAND, Calif., June 6, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jill Yegian, PhD, as vice president of policy and external relations. Dr. Yegian will be responsible for leading policy and research activities, including oversight of IHA's payment reform portfolio. Her expertise in California and national health reform, public programs, and health policy will advance the association's work to support state and national policymakers and healthcare stakeholders, and will provide knowledge translation and dissemination of key findings from IHA's experience working on delivery system alignment and payment reform.
"We are thrilled to add Jill to the IHA executive team," says Tom Williams, IHA president and chief executive officer. "She brings a unique set of skills and experience in health policy and research, and is well-known to the California and national policymakers as an expert in health insurance and the uninsured, health care cost and financing, and consumer use of quality and cost information for decision-making."
Dr. Yegian comes to IHA from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) where she co-directed the Health Policy and Research Group, a team of over 70 health services research professionals. She recently completed a study funded by the California HealthCare Foundation on consumer priorities for cost and quality information, published in the February 2013 issue of the policy journal Health Affairs, as well as an analysis of Hawaii's health insurance market in the context of long-term mandated coverage that is forthcoming in the American Journal of Managed Care.
Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Yegian spent thirteen years with the California HealthCare Foundation, where she worked to improve the State's financing and delivery systems for health care, and led the foundation's efforts to increase coverage among California's uninsured. She also served as its first director of research and evaluation.
Ms. Yegian has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, authored a book, and presents to research, policy, and industry audiences regularly. She received a bachelor's degree in human biology from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in health services and policy analysis from the University of California at Berkeley.
About the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA)
The Integrated Healthcare Association is a statewide multi-stakeholder leadership group that promotes quality improvement, accountability and affordability of health care in California. IHA is a nonprofit association working to actively convene all healthcare parties for cross sector collaboration on health care topics. IHA administers regional and statewide programs and serves as an incubator for pilot programs and projects. For more information, please visit: www.IHA.org.