William J. Scanlon Joins ABS as Public Member
July 20, 2010
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The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is pleased to announce the appointment of William J. Scanlon, Ph.D. as its first public board member. He will serve a six-year term starting this July.
A highly regarded health care policy expert, Dr. Scanlon currently serves as consultant to the National Health Policy Forum and as an affiliated faculty member of the Institute for Policy Studies at The Johns Hopkins University. He is also a current member of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York Board of Directors. This past May he completed a term as member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).
Dr. Scanlon was managing director of health care issues at the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) until 2004. Before joining the GAO in 1993, he was co-director of the Center for Health Policy Studies and associate professor in the department of family medicine at Georgetown University. He was also a principal research associate in health policy at the Urban Institute. "Dr. Scanlon brings years of public policy experience and an important outside perspective to the ABS," said Dr. Frank R. Lewis Jr., ABS executive director. "As we work to coordinate our Maintenance of Certification program with insurers and regulatory organizations, as well as develop certification requirements that will shape future surgeons, we look forward to the expertise and insights that he will contribute."
Dr. Scanlon's research has focused on Medicare and Medicaid, insurance regulation, public health and health care workforce issues. He has published extensively and has served as a frequent consultant to federal agencies, state Medicaid programs and private foundations. Dr. Scanlon holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A Chicago native, he currently resides in Virginia.
About the ABS
The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge. The ABS offers board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, surgery of the hand, and hospice and palliative medicine. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
