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Technology Evaluation
Center (TEC)


TEC is guided by the Medical Advisory Panel (MAP), which is composed of nationally respected physician experts. The MAP has final scientific and clinical authority for all TEC assessments.

Chaired by the Senior Vice President, Office of Clinical Affairs, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the MAP comprises experts in technology assessment, clinical research methodology and implementation and clinical practice. MAP membership is diversified to ensure representation by a wide variety of viewpoints within the healthcare community. A majority of members hold academic appointments and are independent medical experts without affiliation to healthcare payers.

Chairman

Allan M. Korn, M.D., F.A.C.P.  Senior Vice President, Office of Clinical Affairs/Medical Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:

  • Former Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (1996–1999)
  • Former Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs, Premier Health Alliance (Premier/AmHs/SunHealth) and Principal, William H. Mercer, Inc.
  • Member of work groups/committees at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Oversees the National Council of Physician Executives, senior BCBS Plan physicians that advise the Association
  • Member of the American Medical Association and the Board of Directors of e-Health Initiative
  • Serves on the Steering Committee of Connecting for Health and the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Drug Discovery
  • Fellow of the American College of Physicians/American Society of Internal Medicine
  • Board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine

 

Co-Scientific Advisors

(full biographic information following)

Alan M. Garber, M.D., Ph.D.  Staff Physician, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Henry J. Kaiser, Jr., Professor, and Professor of Medicine, Economics, and Health Research and Policy, Stanford University:

  • Specialty: Internal Medicine and Economics

Steven N. Goodman, M.D., M.H.S., Ph.D.  Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics (joint appointments in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Pediatrics):

  • Specialty: Pediatrics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Medical Advisory Panel Members

Peter C. Albertsen, M.D.  Professor, Chief of Urology, and Residency Program Director, University of Connecticut Health Center:

  • Specialty:  Urology
  • Member of the Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) II for Prostate Diseases and the National Cancer Institute Special Study of Prostate Cancer Health Care and Quality of Life
  • Member of the Residency Review Committee for Urology of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
  • Editorial Board member of Urology and Urology Times; reviewer for JAMA, Cancer, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and others
  • Widely published author in the area of prostate disease
  • Trustee of the American Board of Urology

Sarah T. Corley, M.D., F.A.C.P. Chief Medical Officer, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc:

  • American College of Physicians Appointee to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medical Advisory Panel
  • Specialty:  Internal Medicine, Medical Informatics
  • Past-Governor, now member of the Governor's Council, Virginia Chapter, American College of Physicians
  • Commissioner, Certification Commission for Health Information Technology
  • Board-certified in internal medicine

Helen Darling, M.A.  President, National Business Group on Health:

  • Purchaser/Consumer Representative
  • President of NBGH, which has 280 mostly large employer members, including 58 of the Fortune 100. Provides solutions to the health care cost, quality and affordability crisis; serves as a link between large employers/purchasers and Congress, Executive Branch and other national organizations; the single voice for large employers on an array of health, productivity and disability issues.
  • Board of Directors, National Quality Forum and Reagan-Udall Foundation; Member, Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, Committee on Performance Measurement, National Committee for Quality Assurance

Josef E. Fischer, M.D., F.A.C.S.  William V. McDermott Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School:

  • American College of Surgeons' Appointee to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medical Advisory Panel
  • Specialty:  Surgery
  • Widely published author and researcher, member of the editorial board of 15 national medical journals, associate editor of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons and the American Journal of Surgery. Editor of 14 texts of surgery, including the standard atlas of surgery, Mastery of Surgery, 5th Edition
  • Recipient of numerous research grants and professional honors, including the two most significant honors in surgery: the Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Surgeons and the Gold Medallion of the American Surgical Association. Selected as one of the 24 most prominent surgeons of the 20th century by Archives of Surgery 1999. Former Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons, former Chair of the American Board of Surgery, and a member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Surgery
  • Member of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee
  • Member of the Advisory Committee for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Research
  • Recipient of numerous honorary fellowships from international surgical organizations
  • Received an honorary MD from the University of Lund
  • An Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh
  • Author of over 850 peer-reviewed papers

Alan M. Garber, M.D., Ph.D.  Staff Physician, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Henry J. Kaiser, Jr., Professor, and Professor of Medicine, Economics, and Health Research and Policy, Stanford University:

  • Specialty: Internal Medicine and Economics
  • At Stanford University, Director of the Center for Health Policy, the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, and the Health Care Research and Policy Fellowship
  • Associate Director of the (VA) Center for Health Care Evaluation:  Health Services Research and Development Field  Program; Member, Institute of Medicine, American Society for Clinical Investigation, and Association of American Physicians
  • Member of the Panel of Health Advisers of the Congressional Budget Office
  • Former Chair, Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee
  • Research includes both methodological and applied research in cost-effectiveness analysis in health care, the effects of variation in patterns of care on costs and outcomes, the role of financial incentives in the utilization of acute services and long-term care among the elderly, projections of health expenditures, and international comparisons of health care financing, health care organization, and health outcomes; and the productivity of health care
  • Co-Scientific Advisor to the Association’s Medical Advisory Panel

Steven N. Goodman, M.D., M.H.S., Ph.D.  Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics (joint appointments in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Pediatrics):

  • Specialty:  Pediatrics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology
  • Director, Oncology Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
  • Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Trials: Journal of the Society for Clinical Trials
  • Former Co-director, Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center
  • Senior statistical editor, Annals of Internal Medicine
  • Member of several IOM panels (Agent Orange, Immunization Safety, PTSD in Veterans)
  • Member of Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee
  • Research and teaching focus on inferential and ethical issues in clinical research, peer review, evidence synthesis, diagnostic test evaluation
  • Board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics
  • Co-Scientific Advisor to the Association’s Medical Advisory Panel

Stanley E. Harris, M.D.  Senior Medical Director, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey: 

  • Specialty: Pediatrics
  • Chair of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s Medical Policy Panel
  • Responsible for the research, development, and implementation of medical policy for Horizon Healthcare
  • Provides physician support for pharmacy policy development
  • Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine
  • Member of the New York Academy of Medicine Institutional review board
  • Board of Trustees, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY

I. Craig Henderson, M.D.  Adjunct Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco:

  • Specialty: Oncology
  • Former Chief of Medical Oncology and Associate Director of the Cancer Center at UCSF; former chairman of the Breast Cancer Committee of the Cancer and Acute Leukemia Group B (CALGB); former chairman of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration
  • Vice chairman of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Technologies for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer
  • Former chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Committee on Essential Drugs (Cancer) and Participant in the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Cancer
  • Chairman of the Committee on Metastatic Breast Cancer of the Cochrane Collaboration on Meta-analyses.  Former chairman of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists Group (Oxford meta-analyses of breast cancer trials)
  • President of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals
  • Founder of the Breast Evaluation Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
  • Associate editor, editorial board member and/or editorial advisory board for Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, European Journal of Cancer, The Breast, The Breast Journal, and Oncology

Jo Carol Hiatt, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S.  Chair, Inter-Regional New Technology Committee, Kaiser Permanente: 

  • Specialty:  Surgery
  • Staff Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente, Panorama City
  • Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery, UCLA
  • Regional Assistant Medical Director, Business Management, Kaiser Permanente
  • Chair, National Product Council, Kaiser PermanenteBoard-certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Surgery

Mark A. Hlatky, M.D.  Professor of Health Research and Policy and of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine), Stanford University School of Medicine

  • American College of Cardiology Appointee to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medical Advisory Panel
  • Specialty:  Cardiology
  • Director, Health Services Research Graduate Degree Program, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Director, Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center
  • Former Co-Director, UCSF-Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center
  • Attending, Cardiovascular Medicine Service, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Widely published researcher and editorial board member of several prestigious journals, including American Heart Journal and American Journal of Medicine

Saira A. Jan, M.S., Pharm.D. Associate Clinical Professor, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Residency Director and Director of Clinical Programs Pharmacy Management, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey:

  • Specialty:  Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics
  • Member of American Association of Health Plans (AHIP) advisory committee for Medication Therapy Management and Immunization
  • Council for Affordable Quality Health Care (CAQH) National Committee; New Jersey State Representative for Formulary Management
  • Director of Research at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Published in the areas of pharmacy benefit management, outcomes research, and clinical therapeutics
  • Member of Pharmaceutical Assistance to Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Department of Health and Senior Services
  • Member of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP)

Thomas Kowalski, R.Ph.  Clinical Pharmacy Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts:

  • Specialty:  Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics
  • Member, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s National Council of Physician and Pharmacy Executives
  • Member, BCBSA’s Specialty Pharmacy Combined Capacity Steering Committee
  • Leads the development, implementation, maintenance and evaluation of clinically appropriate and cost effective programs to control the escalating costs of pharmaceuticals and utilization trends on both medical and pharmacy benefits.    

Leslie Levin, M.D., F.R.C.P.(Lon), F.R.C.P.C.  Head, Medical Advisory Secretariat and Senior Medical, Scientific and Health Technology Advisor, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario, Canada

  • Specialty:  Medical Oncology
  • Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital
  • Member, HTA Council, International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
  • Past Board member, Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment 
  • Royal College Certification in internal medicine

Bernard Lo, M.D.  Professor of Medicine and Director, Program in Medical Ethics, University of California, San Francisco

  • Specialty:  Medical Ethics
  • National Program Director, Greenwall Faculty Scholars in Bioethics Program
  • Co-chair, Standards Working Ground of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
  • Co-Director, Policy and Ethics Core, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies
  • Member, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ethics Subcommittee
  • Author of Resolving Ethical Dilemmas in Clinical Practice and of Ethical Issues in Clinical Research
  • Board-certified in internal medicine

Randall E. Marcus, M.D.  Charles H. Herndon Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio:

  • Specialty:  Orthopedics
  • Director, Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center
  • American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Senior Director
  • Past President, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons
  • Editorial reviewer for prestigious orthopedics and general medicine journals and widely published author in the area of orthopedics
  • Board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Barbara J. McNeil, M.D., Ph.D.  Ridley Watts Professor and Head, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Professor of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital:

  • Specialty: Technology Assessment/Quality of Care/Health Policy
  • Member of Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee and Vice Chair
  • Member, Institute of Medicine
  • Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • Widely published author in the areas of radiology, cost-effectiveness analysis, and quality of care
  • Board-certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine

William R. Phillips, M.D., M.P.H.  Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, University of Washington:

  • American Academy of Family Physicians appointee to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medical Advisory Panel
  • Specialty:  Family Medicine. Board-certified in family medicine and preventive medicine
  • Co-Director, National Research Service Award Fellowship in Primary Care Research, University of Washington
  • Senior Associate Editor, Annals of Family Medicine
  • Senior Research Scientist, Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, Battelle Memorial  Institute, Seattle
  • Member, Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee
  • Past-President, North American Primary Care Research Group
  • Past-Chair, American Academy of Family Physicians Commission on Clinical Policies and Research
  • Author of over 100 original peer-reviewed publications

Rita F. Redberg, M.D., M.Sc., F.A.C.C.  Professor of Medicine and Director, Women's Cardiovascular Services, University of California San Francisco:

  • Specialty:  Cardiology
  • Chief Editor of Archives of Internal Medicine
  • Member of the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) Clinical Quality Committee and the Quality in Technology Work Group
  • Member of the California Technology Assessment Forum, the Medical Policy Technology and Advisory Committee, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Cardiovascular Devices Expert Panel
  • Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, 2003-2006
  • Board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease

Alan B. Rosenberg, M.D.  Vice President, Medical Policy, Technology Assessment and Credentialing Programs, WellPoint, Inc.:

  • Specialty: Internal Medicine
  • Member, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s Medical Policy Panel
  • Professional responsibilities include Medical Policy and Technology Assessment, Credentialing Programs, and Anthem Utilization Management Services, Inc.
  • Board Member of URAC and the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations (AAPPO)
  • Plan Provider Technology Assessment Work Group; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Stakeholder Group; America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Cost Effectiveness Task Force and Vaccines and Immunization Workgroup; and American College of Cardiology Appropriateness Criteria for Echocardiography and CT Appropriate Use Technical Panel Participant
  • Board-certified in internal medicine

Maren T. Scheuner, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.M.G.  Director, Genomics Strategic Program Area, VA HSR&D Center of Excellence for the Study of Healthcare Provider Behavior, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System; Natural Scientist, RAND Corporation; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health:

  • American College of Medical Genetics Appointee to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medical Advisory Panel
  • Specialty:  Medical Genetics, Internal Medicine
  • Member, American Board of Medical Genetics, Board of Directors
  • Member, Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee
  • Board-certified in internal medicine and medical genetics

J. Sanford Schwartz, M.D., F.A.C.P.  Leon Hess Professor of Medicine and Health Management & Economics, School of Medicine and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania:

  • Specialty: Internal Medicine (ABIM certified)
  • Research Interests: medical decision making; health economics (cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-quality tradeoffs); assessment of medical interventions/technology assessment; adoption/diffusion medical innovation
  • University of Pennsylvania: Former Executive Director, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; Former Co–Director, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program; Former Director, Cancer Center Program in Health Economics and Health Services Research; University of Pennsylvania
  • National Professional and Research Societies: Past–President, Society for Medical Decision Making; Past–President, American Federation for Clinical Research
  • National Advisory Committees: National Cholesterol Education Project Adult Treatment Panels III and IV (NCEP–ATP), National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; National Advisory Committee, Robert Wood Johnson Minority Faculty Development Committee; Board of Directors ECRI Institute; Member US Preventive Services Task Force; Elected memberships: Institute of Medicine National Academy of Sciences; Association of American Physicians; American Society for Clinical Investigation; American Clinical and Climatological Society
  • Minority Faculty Development Committee; Board of Directors, ECRI; Scientific Advisory Panel, disease Management Association of America

Earl P. Steinberg, M.D., M.P.P.  President and CEO, Resolution Health, Inc.:

  • Specialty:  Technology Assessment/Internal Medicine
  • Adjunct Professor of Medicine (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) and of Health Policy and Management (Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health)
  • Areas of expertise include technology assessment, cost and effectiveness of alternative patterns of medical practice, clinical practice guideline development, methods for evaluating quality of care, strategies for improving quality of care, and the clinical and economic impacts of health care payment innovations
  • Fellow of the American College of Physicians – American Society of Internal Medicine
  • Board-certified in internal medicine