TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 18, 2008 — The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) today announced the selection of Barry R. Silbaugh, MD, MS, CPE, FACPE, a longtime member and physician leader, as its new chief executive officer.
Silbaugh, 60, replaces Roger Schenke, who established the College more than 30 years ago and helped it grow from 100 members to more than 10,000 physician executives. Silbaugh has been ACPE's interim executive vice president since Schenke announced his retirement earlier this year.
ACPE is the nation's oldest and largest medical management educational association for physicians.
"The board has no doubt that our longtime friend and colleague Barry Silbaugh is the right physician executive to lead ACPE into the future," said Cynthia Sherry, MD, MMM, CPE, FACR, FACPE, the president of ACPE's board of directors.
"Through the years, Barry has consistently demonstrated his passion, knowledge and dedication to helping others in medical management," Sherry said. "As we start a new chapter in the college's history, we are confident in Barry's abilities to take ACPE to a new level of excellence."
Silbaugh has a long history with ACPE. He was named a Fellow of the College in 2000 and joined the board of directors in 2001. Silbaugh also served as the board's president in 2005.
Silbaugh said the country's health care system is struggling and physicians are key leaders to help fix it. He said his goal as ACPE's leader is to help physicians who want to make a difference in U.S. health care.
"As physicians, we need to reach back to the curiosity and excitement we had when we first entered the profession and use that to help heal the health care system," Silbaugh said.
Silbaugh is also committed to improving health care around the globe. He has led delegations to China, Tibet, Rwanda and Poland representing the College.
Among his top priorities for ACPE are:
- Boosting the influence of physicians in improving the health care system.
- Focusing on building teamwork between physicians and other professionals.
- Introducing the sciences of high reliability and efficiency to health care.
Currently a consultant with Healthcare Performance Improvement in Norfolk, Va., Silbaugh left a 15-year clinical practice of internal medicine and hematology in 1991 for a career in medical management. He has served as the medical director of New Mexico Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Albuquerque, NM; vice president of medical operations for Catholic Health Initiatives in Denver, Colo.; and was the chief medical officer for Consumer Health Care Advantage LLC, an Internet start-up company based in Los Angeles, Calif.
Silbaugh has a BA and an MD from the University of Iowa. He received a Master's degree in administrative medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. An Iowa native, Silbaugh lives near Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, Janet Winchester-Silbaugh. They have three grown children.
Contact:
Carrie Weimar, ACPE Director of Public Relations
Email
800-562-8088
http://www.acpe.org
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