[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 54 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF DAVID M. LAWRENCE, M.D., RETIRING CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF 
              KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN AND HOSPITALS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2002

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor David M. Lawrence, M.D. 
on his retirement after 10 years of outstanding achievements as 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, 
Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals.
  Given Kaiser Permanente's vast influence on American medicine, Dr. 
Lawrence's successful stewardship of his organization constitutes a 
contribution not only to Kaiser Permanente's 8.4 million members 
nationwide, but to all Americans. He is to be commended for the 
positive impact that Kaiser Permanente has had on the quality and 
affordability of health care in the United States.
  Dr. Lawrence was named CEO in 1991 and Chairman of the Board in 1992. 
Prior to assuming his current role, Dr. Lawrence served KFHP/KFH as 
vice chairman and chief operating officer (1990-91); and senior vice 
president and regional manager in Colorado (1985-88). He also was vice 
president and area medical director for Northwest Permanente in 
Portland (1981-85). Dr. Lawrence also served as health officer and 
director of Human Services in Multnomah County, Oregon; on the faculty 
of Department of Health Services and Director of MEDEX in the school of 
Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington; as 
advisor to the Ministry of Health of Chile; and as Peace Corps 
Physician in the Dominican Republic and Washington D.C.
  Dr. Lawrence is a graduate of Amherst College (BA), the University of 
Kentucky (MD), and the University of Washington (MPH). He is Board 
Certified in General Preventive Medicine (Johns Hopkins and University 
of Washington). He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (Medical Honorary 
Society) and the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Sciences). 
He currently serves on the Boards of Agilent Technologies, Pacific Gas 
and Electric Company, Raffles Medical Group of Singapore, The 
Rockefeller Foundation, RAND Health Advisory Board, the Bay Area 
Council, and the Hospital Research and Educational Trust (AHA). He 
previously served as chair of the International Federation of Health 
Funds and the University of California's President's Board on Research 
and Economic Development.
  Dr. Lawrence is nationally known for his advocacy for improvements in 
the American health care delivery system. He served as a member of the 
Institute of Medicine's Committee on Quality of Health Care in America 
that produced the landmark report on patient safety, ``To Err is 
Human,'' and the blueprint for improving America's health care system, 
``The Quality Chasm.''
  Dr. Lawrence has been active in San Francisco Bay Area community 
affairs, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the United 
Way of the Bay Area and chair of the annual campaign for the United Way 
in Alameda County and the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Lawrence has been 
recognized as the Outstanding Alumnus of the School of Public Health 
and Community Medicine, University of Washington (1980); and the 
Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Medicine, University of Kentucky 
(1995); and has received honorary degrees from Amherst College (Doctor 
of Science, 1994), and Colgate University (Doctor of Letters, 1995).
  Dr. Lawrence's achievements have improved both Kaiser Permanente and 
American health care. In his 10-year tenure as Chairman and CEO, he:
  1. Made the delivery of quality heath care the single most important 
value of Kaiser Permanente and led Kaiser Permanente to be a quality 
leader in U.S. medicine.
  2. Focused both the nation's and the organization's attention on the 
issue of patient safety and the need for reforms in the nation's health 
care delivery system.
  3. Championed the expanded use of information technology for clinical 
care in Kaiser Permanente and the nation as a whole.
  4. Partnered with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to conceive and 
initiate the Labor and Management Partnership, the only such 
partnership in the health care industry.
  5. Kept Kaiser Permanente's diversity efforts at the forefront of the 
organization's agenda and made it one of the most inclusive workplaces 
in the nation.
  6. Redesigned Kaiser Permanente's Community Benefit Program to 
enhance its value to the communities it serves.
  7. Led Kaiser Permanente through the turnaround years of financial 
difficulties and returned it to financial stability.
  8. Guided the development of the Kaiser Permanente's National 
Partnership Agreement, out of which grew the Kaiser Permanente 
Partnership Group, the joint leadership body that sets direction for 
the organization.
  9. Created and developed a strong senior leadership team from both 
inside and outside the organization.
  10. Created a string organization that functions with a national 
focus while maintaining responsiveness to the needs of the individual 
communities it serves.
  We are all fortunate to have had Dr. Lawrence at the helm of Kaiser 
Permanente and the forefront of American health care. I have valued his 
insights and perspective during his years at Kaiser Permanente. I have 
every confidence that he will continue to contribute to the health of 
all Americans and citizens throughout the world in his post-retirement 
activities.

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