RUSH has appointed Garth Walker, MD, MPH, as its new medical director of value-based care.
In this role, Walker will be responsible for identifying and developing innovative reimbursement models in value-based care that advance the growth and financial sustainability of RUSH Health.
Walker’s appointment is the most recent example of RUSH’s commitment to the value-based care approach, for which RUSH Health is consistently recognized as a national leader. RUSH University Medical Center is the top-performing academic medical center in Chicago participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, a particularly notable achievement given the diverse population served and the specialties and complexity of care offered. Over the last two years, RUSH has achieved more than $30 million in cost savings for the Medicare program, while maintaining a superior quality score of 89.3% and exceeding national benchmarks among other established MSSP ACOs.
“I’m incredibly excited about joining RUSH to find ways to sustain and expand our delivery of excellent care in the community,” he says.
Walker will play a strategic role in RUSH’s population health strategy and growth. He will focus on improving utilization standardization and evidence-based quality within physician practices, particularly as they relate to chronic disease management. In addition, Walker will also have a clinical appointment within RUSH Emergency Medicine.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Garth to RUSH,” says Brian Stein, MD, chief quality officer for RUSH Health. “He will be an integral part of building on the successes of RUSH’s value-based care model.”
Walker is board-certified in emergency medicine, and most recently served as a White House fellow and senior adviser to the United States surgeon general, Vice Adm. Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and his master’s in public health from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
“We look to any avenue that can strengthen access to high-quality health care,” says Douglas O’Brien, interim president and executive director of RUSH Health. “Garth’s addition will certainly help us achieve that goal.”
About RUSH Health
RUSH Health is a clinically integrated network of physicians and hospitals working together to provide high-quality, efficient health services, covering the spectrum of patient care from wellness and prevention to disease and care management. RUSH’s network includes Riverside Medical Center, RUSH Copley Medical Center, RUSH Oak Park Hospital, RUSH University Medical Center and over 140 physician practices.