HOUSTON (January 31, 2007) —Spencer Berthelsen, M.D., managing director and chairman of the board of directors for Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, has been named to the new 15-member Texas Health Care System Integrity Partnership by Governor Rick Perry.  The Partnership is an advisory group established to guide development of the Texas Health Care System Integrity Authority (THCSIA), a public-private collaborative designed to improve patient safety and healthcare affordability through electronic medical records and new health insurance options.

As a member of the Partnership, Dr. Berthelsen, a resident of Sugar Land, will be part of a task force charged with creating the financial and governance structures under which the THCSIA operates.  The Partnership will report its findings to the governor and the Texas Legislature this March.

“I am honored to support Governor Perry’s commitment to improve patient safety and provide better, more affordable healthcare options for Texas families and small businesses,” said Berthelsen. “The governor has asked our team to help create a more efficient and effective health care system in Texas by building the framework for the Texas Health Care System Integrity Authority, and we look forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.”

Berthelsen has served Kelsey-Seybold in various leadership roles since 1980 and maintains an internal medicine practice at Kelsey-Seybold’s Fort Bend Medical and Diagnostic Center.  He is also a clinical professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. 

Berthelsen is a member of the Texas Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the Harris County Medical Society, the American College of Physician Executives and the Texas Medical Association Council on Legislation.  He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rice University and a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

###

Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston’s largest community-based physician group, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston’s famous Texas Medical Center. Kelsey-Seybold offers the services of more than 300 physicians in over 40 medical specialties. The Clinic’s 18 Houston-area locations offer convenience to patients close to home and work.  Kelsey-Seybold has proudly served the National Aeronautics and Space Administration since 1966 and today provides medical services on-site at both Johnson Space Center and Moscow.  The Kelsey Research Foundation works to improve community health through information, education and research studies.  Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is part of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System.