Paul Keckley, an Ohio State graduate who earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees at OSU, was appointed on Jan. 10 by President E. Gordon Gee to the OSU Medical Center Board of Trustees, an appointment that will run from Feb 8, 2012, through June 2014.
Keckley is a national leader in health care reform, and his opinions on health matters are sought by federal and state legislators to discuss health trends and solutions. He has also written three books and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and trade periodicals, and is often sought to be a speaker or keynote presenter at health care conferences internationally, according to a Medical Center press release about the appointment.
As a member of the board, he will oversee the five individual hospital boards for the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, OSU Harding Hospital, Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, University Hospital and University Hospital East.
Keckley said in an email he is glad he can bring his expertise to OSU and is glad to be serving his alma mater.
“I have been in the health-care industry at a national level for 35 years, so I will draw on that experience to provide the board a perspective on key trends and issues about which it should be prepared,” Keckley said. “I am proud to be an alumnus of The Ohio State University and appreciative of the opportunity to contribute to its future as asked.”
There will be no financial compensation for this position, and he will continue his current position as executive director at the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, an independent research organization focused on issues in health care in the U.S.
Keckley earned his degree from Lipscomb University, in Nashville, Tenn., before coming to OSU for more education. He is married and has four children.
According to Vanderbilt University’s website, he was executive director of the Vanderbilt Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and an assistant professor in the VU School of Medicine beginning in 2003.
Erika Ulrich, a second-year in history, said she thinks the fact that the position is unpaid might give him more incentive to serve his own interests, possibly political interests, than those of the medical center, but hopes that his experiences at Vanderbilt will help dispel that temptation.
“(He is) going to possibly have more influence with his personal opinion more so than the good of the institution,” Ulrich said. “(But his time at Vanderbilt) could be positive and help make him less partisan and could make him more level-minded about the needs of the center.”
Before Vanderbilt, Keckley founded and served as CEO at EBM Solutions, Inc. in Nashville, Tenn., from 1998 to 2002. EBM Solutions is a software application for health plans, hospitals and medical groups to help turn guidelines into care management applications. Keckley left when HealthGate Data Corp. purchased the company.
Keckley founded The Keckley Group out of Nashville in 1974 and provided health care management and strategic planning support to health care companies, 1,200 hospitals, five investor-owned health systems, and others. Aveta Inc. acquired TKG in 1994, according to Vanderbilt’s website. Keckley served as Aveta’s president and director from 1994 to 1998.
Keckley said his experiences with these companies will be vital in his assisting the board here at OSU and plan for the future.
“My experiences at Vanderbilt, EBM Solutions, InterDent and The Keckley Group combine to provide me an in-depth understanding of the operational and strategic challenges in the acute, bio-pharma and insurance industries,” Keckley said in an email. “(I hope) to assist Steve Gabbe (senior vice president for health sciences and med center CEO), Gordon Gee’s leadership and (the) Board of OSU Medical Center in navigating a course of action for the future.”
Gee said in an email to The Lantern that he is happy to have Keckley join the board and said he will be very beneficial to OSU and Ohio.
“We are truly fortunate that Paul Keckley will be joining the Ohio State Medical Center Board. He is one of the country’s leading experts on health care reform, a consummate veteran in health sciences research, and a two-time graduate of The Ohio State University,” Gee said. “His work will be of tremendous benefit to our academic Medical Center — both in our patient care mission and in teaching and research — as well as to the state of Ohio.”
