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Governor Perry Names Dr. Spencer Berthelsen to New State Health Board
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Board chairman is among 15 to develop patient care improvements
Houston (January 21, 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.
About Kelsey-Seybold
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston's premier multispecialty group practice, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston's renowned Texas Medical Center. More than 650 physicians and allied health professionals practice at 38 locations in the Greater Houston area. Kelsey-Seybold offers quality medical care in 65 medical specialties. The organization operates the largest freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center in the state of Texas and offers state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam and Varian Edge radiation therapy technology at a nationally accredited Cancer Center. An accredited Sleep Center, comprehensive laboratory services, advanced imaging and diagnostics, 24 onsite Kelsey pharmacies and one specialty pharmacy, and MyKelseyOnline, a secure web portal, are part of its comprehensive offerings. Kelsey-Seybold partners with major insurers to offer value-based commercial health plans. KelseyCare Advantage, a Medicare Advantage plan offered to Houston-area beneficiaries and affiliated with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, has achieved the coveted 5-out-of-5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for seven consecutive years.
Kelsey-Seybold has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the nation’s first accredited Accountable Care Organization and a Patient-Centered Medical Home. Kelsey-Seybold has many physicians in the Greater Houston area certified for excellence in diabetes and heart and stroke care by the NCQA. In addition to these recognitions, Kelsey-Seybold is home to a nationally accredited Breast Diagnostic Center and Endoscopy Center.