Committed to evidence-based solutions for improving the quality of medical services and lowering their cost.
It has been my privilege to serve as Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer with several health plans mostly in New York. In this capacity I try to find the balance between the business of health insurance and the needs of our members and doctors. I am committed to an evidence-based approach to solving problems, and to leveraging information to support implementation of solutions. As a complement to my work with health insurance plans, I hold the rank of Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where I teach undergraduate medical students, residents and MPH students on a variety of topics.
I recently retired from a position as a Medical Director at Aetna. Some of my previous positions were Chief Medical Officer at HIP Health Plan of New York, FidelisCare, Health Republic Insurance of New York, and Medical Director of the Special Investigations Unit at Coventry HealthCare. I previously served as a Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute where I worked on Harm Reduction Strategies for Tobacco Use.
I started my first smoking cessation program during my residency at Montefiore Hospital in 1983. Since then, I have focused on educating clinicians and students, advocacy, and most recently research on reimbursement for tobacco cessation. What we have learned about tobacco can be readily applied to a broad range of public health problems.
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is entirely from the public domain. No medical advice is being provided.
CREDO
I have worked in many settings understand the landscape: I have worked with thousands of patients in tobacco cessation clinics, worked as a primary doctor, health insurance executive, academic physician, and consultant to a conservative think tank. At present, I receive no income or support for this activity. The only stock I own is through mutual funds. The majority of the information on this site is in the public domain and is linked to credible references. My opinions are clearly labelled, and controversies are identified with links to opposing views.
We all have biases. Here are mine:
I have a bias towards action. The information we have will always be imperfect. When the weight of the evidence shows harm, we must act.
I have a bias towards seeking more information and more perspectives on a problem. When a choice needs to be made, we need to equip ourselves with the best information.
I identify as a liberal democrat.
