announcement - February 2008

Murray Ross to assume leadership of KP Institute for Health Policy

Murray Ross, PhD, has been named Vice President and Director, Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy (KP-IHP), effective Jan. 18, 2008. He takes over the leadership of KP-IHP from KP Senior Vice President for Research and Policy Development Bob Crane, the founding director of the Institute, whose retirement from Kaiser Permanente was announced late last year.

In announcing Ross’ appointment, Ray Baxter, Senior Vice President for Community Benefit, who will sponsor KP-IHP, noted that "Kaiser Permanente's unique assets -- our integrated delivery system, prevention orientation, evidence-based care supported by an electronic medical record, our research and investment in community health -- offer a wealth of insights for health policy. I can think of no one better than Murray to translate our experience for policymakers in the U.S. and around the world."

For the past five years, Ross has been Director of Health Policy Analysis and Research at KP-IHP, leading policy work in many areas, especially Medicare and comparative effectiveness.

Ross, who is well-known in the national health policy community, said he looks forward to the challenge of taking KP-IHP to “a new level of visibility and relevance” in the Institute’s key research areas, including delivery system reform, health information technology, health disparities, and medical technology.

“Bob Crane launched IHP almost a decade ago, and his guidance and tireless support have been an inspiration to me and the entire staff and to the many partners with whom we work in the world of health policy. Going forward, we will build on his accomplishments in leveraging the knowledge and experience of the nation's largest integrated delivery system to inform health policy discussions,” said Ross.

Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2002, Ross served as Executive Director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises the Congress on Medicare policy issues.  He has also served as Chief, Health Cost Estimates Unit, Budget Analysis Division of the US Congressional Budget Office in Washington , DC . He has a PhD in Economics from the University of Maryland.