2016 Financial Management Conference

Patricia Gabow
Professor of Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine


Patricia A. Gabow, M.D., MACP, was CEO of Denver Health from 1992 until her retirement in 2012, initially transforming it from a department of city government to a successful, independent governmental entity and then leading its Lean transformation. Denver Health’s Lean effort earned the Shingo Bronze Medallion for Operational Excellence- the only health care entity in the world to receive such recognition. Prior to becoming CEO, Dr. Gabow was a practicing nephrologist and academic researcher serving as chief of nephrology, and then Director of Medical Services and Chief Medical Officer at Denver Health. As an academic nephrologist, she was the Principal Investigator on a NIH Program Project Grant on Polycystic Kidney Disease for 15 years. Dr.Gabow was a founding member of the Medicaid and CHIP Access and Payment Commission (MACPAC) and currently serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees, the National Academy of Medicine Leadership Consortium for Value & Science-Driven Health Care, and as a Senior Advisor to Simpler Consulting. She is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has authored over 160 articles, book chapters, and a recent book, ”The Lean Prescription: Powerful Medicine for Our Ailing Healthcare System, “ which received the Shingo publication award. She received her M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She has received numerous awards, including the AMA Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Public Servant, the National Healthcare Leadership Award, the David E. Rogers Award from AAMC, the Health Quality Leader Award from NCQA, and was elected to the Association for Manufacturing Excellence for her work in bringing Lean into health care.

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