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Richard J. Baron, MD, FACP, to Become Chair-elect of American Board of Internal Medicine's Board of Directors

Philadelphia, PA, November 27, 2006 – The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) today announced that on July 1, 2007, Richard J. Baron, MD, FACP, will become chair-elect of its Board of Directors. Dr. Baron, who currently is secretary/treasurer of ABIM's Board, is president and founder of Greenhouse Internists, PC, a community-based four-physician internal medicine practice in Philadelphia. Dr. Baron will succeed Donald E. Wesson, MD, the Board's current chair-elect, as Board chair on July 1, 2008.

"As a practicing physician, Rich is intimately familiar with issues facing today's internists," said Christine K. Cassel, MD, ABIM's president and CEO. "He shares our commitment and dedication to improving health care quality and has the skills, experience and qualifications necessary to effectively represent the internal medicine profession. Rich will be an outstanding leader of our Board."

Dr. Baron currently serves as a member of the Standards Committee of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which sets standards for health plan quality through NCQA's accreditation program. Previously, he was senior vice president for Medical Affairs at Health Partners, a non-profit Medicaid HMO in Philadelphia. For many years, Dr. Baron has advised the Center for Health Care Strategies, a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and efficiency of health care services for beneficiaries served by publicly financed care, on using managed care initiatives to improve health care quality.

Dr. Baron is a past recipient of the American College of Physicians' Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, which recognizes notable contribution to superior clinical care in the field of internal medicine. His work has been published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine and other prestigious health care publications. He received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and is board certified in internal medicine.

About ABIM
For more than 75 years, certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 19 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter.