URAC Reveals Distinguished Judges' Panel for 2009 Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protect...(Patricia Salber MD MBA senior vice presi...),Health

-- Joshua Seidman, Ph.D, president, Center for Information Therapy;

-- Bruce Sherman, MD, director, health and productivity initiatives, Employers Health Purchasing Corporation of Ohio;

-- Michael J. Thompson, FSA, MAAA, principal, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC;

-- Deborah Unger, RN, clinical director, State Employees' Insurance Board;

-- Dennis White, senior vice president, value-based purchasing, National Business Coalition on Health;

-- Susan K. Willette, national practice leader for Health and Productivity Management, Mercer Health & Benefits.

-- Christine G. Williams, M.Ed, director for strategic partnerships, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The deadline for entries to this awards competition is Sept. 15, 2008, and entry is not limited to URAC-accredited organizations. The Call for Entries is available at http://www.urac.org/bestpractices .

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and education programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit http://www.urac.org.