Christianson appointed to MedPAC

Jon Christianson, a professor in the division of health policy and management at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, has been named as the newest member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

The announcement came from Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the U.S. and head of the Government Accountability Office. Along with Christianson's appointment, Dodaro reappointed five current MedPAC members whose terms will expire in April 2016: Scott Armstrong, president and CEO of the Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative; Katherine Baicker, professor of health economics in the health policy and management department at the Harvard School of Public Health; Herb Kuhn, president and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association; Mary Naylor, director of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; and Cori Uccello, senior health fellow of the American Academy of Actuaries.

“This year's MedPAC nominees were exceptionally well-qualified, and we are pleased that we had such an outstanding pool of individuals to draw from,” Dodaro said in a news release.

Christianson holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his research specialties include evaluation and treatment processes, competition and competitive healthcare markets, health insurance and financial incentives in healthcare. According to his biography from the University of Minnesota, Christianson is working on research interests including the implementation of evidence-based treatment processes in healthcare organizations and tracking change in healthcare markets. His term as a MedPAC member will expire in April 2016.

“The appointment comes at a time when Medicare is being challenged on a number of fronts,” Christianson said in an e-mail. “As a new commissioner, I am looking forward to contributing to that discussion.”

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