Powerful medicine for our ailing health care system
Patricia A. Gabow, M.D., MACP, was CEO of Denver Health from 1992 until her retirement in 2012, transforming it from a city department to a successful, independent governmental entity and leading its lean transformation, the latter earning the Shingo Bronze Medallion for Operational Excellence - the first health care entity to receive such recognition. Prior to becoming the CEO, Dr. Gabow was a practicing nephrologist and researcher serving as chief of nephrology, Director of Medical Services and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Gabow is a member of the Medicaid and CHIP Access and Payment Commission (MACPAC), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees, the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Value and Science Driven Health Care, the National Governors’ Association Health Advisory Board, a Senior Advisor to Simpler Consulting, and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, authoring over 150 articles, book chapters and books. Her recent book is “The Lean Prescription: Powerful Medicine for Our Ailing Healthcare System. She received her MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She has received numerous awards including 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 Hall of Fame for her work in lean in health care.
