Executive Biographies
Arthur M. Southam, MD, MBA, MPH
Executive vice president, Health Plan Operations
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Arthur M. Southam, MD, is executive vice president, Health Plan Operations, for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Working with leaders throughout the Kaiser Permanente program, Dr. Southam has national responsibility for Health Plan marketing, sales, product development and administrative services that support membership growth and customer service.
Kaiser Permanente is composed of the Permanente Medical Groups, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is the nation's largest nonprofit health system, serving 8.8 million members and more than 125,000 employer groups. Recognized as an international leader in the use of electronic medical records and informatics to improve quality, service, and affordability, Kaiser Permanente’s 167,000 workers provide health care and health benefits in nine states and the District of Columbia.
Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2001, Dr. Southam served as the chief executive officer of a software company, Health Systems Design. Prior to that he served as CEO of two California health plans, Health Net and CareAmerica. He is a past chairman of the California Association of Health Plans.
Dr. Southam serves on the National Commission on Prevention Priorities, and was a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America. As part of the committee, he contributed to the widely cited publications, To Err is Human, regarding patient safety and Crossing the Quality Chasm, which outline principles and priorities for improvements in the quality of American health care.
Dr. Southam received his MD degree and a master’s degree in public health from UCLA. He received an MBA from Pepperdine University and a bachelor's degree in neurosciences from Amherst College.
