Brian Ancell
Premera Blue Cross
OHP Board Member

Brian Ancell is Executive Vice President of Health Care Services and Strategic Development for Premera Blue Cross. He oversees network development, provider relations, care facilitation, information technology, special products and strategic development. Previously, Ancell served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Premera Blue Cross, with responsibility for the company's claims processing, customer service, member services, business services, corporate quality and investigation and recovery. Prior to that served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Development and Marketing. Prior to joining Premera Blue Cross, Ancell was a senior manager with Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group. He specialized in advising health care clients on operations, organizational design, and strategic issues. He also has extensive experience in managing organizational transition. Ancell holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Boise State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.  

Rick Cooper
The Everett Clinic
OHP Board Chairman & President

Mr. Cooper is Chief Executive Officer of The Everett Clinic, a 200-physician multi-specialty group practice serving more than 250,000 patients in Snohomish County, Washington. He has been with The Everett Clinic since 1977. Mr. Cooper is past Chair of the American Medical Group Association and past President of the Washington State Medical Group Management Association. He is a Certified Member of the American College of Medical Practice Executives.  

Jac Jonas Davies
Washington State Hospital Association
OHP Board Member

Jac Davies is the Director of Program Development for Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS). Ms. Davies is responsible for identifying new opportunities for program growth, and new partnerships for INHS. She also oversees a continuing education program for health professionals in rural communities. In addition, Ms Davies facilitates planning activities for area healthcare organizations interested in health information exchange. Prior to joining INHS, Ms. Davies worked at the Washington State Department of Health, where she served as Assistant Secretary for the Division of Epidemiology, Health Statistics, and Public Health Laboratories. Ms. Davies sits on the boards of the Foundation for Health Care Quality and the Washington State Public Health Association, and is a clinical faculty member of the Center for Public Health Informatics at the University of Washington. She has an MS and an MPH from the University of Washington, and a BS from the Mississippi University for Women.

Janice Forrester
Regence Blue Cross
OHP Board Member

Janice Forrester is currently the Director for Health IT Strategy and Initiatives for Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield. She is responsible for the Regence health transparency and interoperability strategy to improve value in healthcare services for Regence members. She coordinates Regence efforts in this area to meet regional and national objectives pertaining to health information exchange, personal health records and the improvement of clinical costs and outcomes. Prior to joining Regence, Ms. Forrester spent over 10 years analyzing organizations and defining systems architecture to transform organizational operations to more effectively utilize technology. Additionally Ms. Forrester spent a number of years as a biostatistician for the United States Center for Disease Control. Ms. Forrester has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and chemistry from Miami University, a master of science in statistics from Miami University, a master of science in engineering and technology management from Portland State University and a doctorate in systems science from Portland State University.

Mark Gargett
Health Services Northwest (a joint venture of Providence Health System and Swedish Health Services)
OHP Board Member

Mr. Gargett is Chief Information Officer, Washington Region, of Providence Health System. He is responsible for computerized information management strategies and practices in the Washington Region. He leads a team located throughout the region supporting the operation and development of information strategies for all Washington facilities. Mr. Gargett also is a member of the PHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) with responsibility to deliver maximum IT synergy across regional boundaries.  

Ken Hamm
First Choice Health
Board Chair and President

Mr. Hamm is President and Chief Executive Officer of First Choice Health. First Choice Health is Washington's oldest and largest Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), now serving more than 1 million people. Mr. Hamm has more than 15 years experience in the healthcare industry.

James Hereford
Group Health Cooperative
OHP Board Member

James Hereford is Group Health Cooperative's Executive Vice President of Strategic Services and Quality. His role brings Quality and Informatics, Performance Reporting, Information Technology, Human Resources and Web Services together in order to increase synergy among key internal organizations. He has been with Group Health since 1992, and served as executive director of informatics and executive director of customer services prior to assuming his current position in 2005. Mr. Hereford is on the Board of Directors of the Center for Information Therapy in Washington D.C. and a member of Seattle's Urban Enterprise Center Advisory Board, which works to diversify the work force and provide a more inclusive employment outreach effort. He is also an associate professor at the University of Washington in the Masters of Health Administration program. 

Richard Rubin
OneHealthPort

Mr. Rubin is CEO of OneHealthPort. In his twenty-five plus years in the health industry, Mr. Rubin has served purchasers, providers, consumers, health plans and policy makers. Previously, Mr. Rubin was a Director for the ehealth division of Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation and President of the Community Healthcare Connection division for the Pointshare Corporation. Prior to assuming his role at Pointshare, Mr. Rubin served as the President and CEO of the Foundation for Health Care Quality and the President of EconoMedrics Inc.