DEERFIELD, Ill. — Jeffrey Kang, senior vice president of pharmacy, health and wellness services and solutions at Walgreen Co., has been named to the board of directors of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
Walgreens said Monday that the board of NCQA, which accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, includes clinicians, public policy experts, purchasers, consumer advocates and leaders of health systems.
The board governs NCQA and consists of 15 members and the NCQA president, Margaret O’Kane.
"Jeff Kang’s thoughtful leadership and broad experience improving quality make him a great addition to the NCQA board," O’Kane said in a statement. "I look forward to working with him, and I know he will make vital contributions to NCQA’s governance."
In his current role at Walgreens, Kang is responsible for the overall pharmacy, health and wellness strategy; outcomes and analytics; Take Care Clinics and work-site health and wellness centers; the health systems solutions group; and the 340B program.
Before joining Walgreens in October, Kang was chief medical officer at Cigna from 2002 to 2011, where he oversaw health strategy and policy for the company’s medical, pharmacy and behavioral products.
Previously, he joined the Clinton administration in 1994 as a White House fellow and subsequently served as the chief clinical officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from 1995 to 2002, according to Walgreens. While at CMS, he was responsible for Medicare technology assessment and coverage policy, setting quality standards for Medicare participating hospitals and facilities, and leading CMS’ quality measurement, improvement and patient safety activities.
An internist and geriatrician, Kang began his career in 1984 as the executive director of the Urban Medical Group, a nonprofit group practice specializing in the care of the frail elderly and disabled.
In addition to his duties at Walgreens, Kang is currently a board member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
