Richard Sorian, Vice President , Public Policy and External Relations

As NCQA’s Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations, Richard Sorian is responsible for the development of NCQA’s public policy strategy, its work with the Federal government and the States, as well as its media, marketing and communications operations. Mr. Sorian also works closely with NCQA’s stakeholder partners including employers, consumer advocacy organizations, labor unions and others.

Prior to joining NCQA in 2003, Mr. Sorian was a Senior Researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change, where he conducted research into local and regional health care markets in such areas as access, coverage, costs and quality improvement.

From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Sorian was on the faculty of Georgetown University’s Institute for Health Care Research and Policy, where his research portfolio focused on consumer information and rights in health care, HIV/AIDS policy development and the information practices and needs of Federal and State policymakers.

From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Sorian was a senior official in the Clinton Administration. He served as Deputy Director of the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, which developed the Patients’ Bill of Rights and the blueprint for the creation of the National Quality Forum. Earlier he served as a Senior Advisor in the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, serving as legislative and media liaison. He was responsible for organizing the 1995 White House Conference on HIV/AIDS.

From 1980 to 1993, Mr. Sorian was an award-winning journalist and editor of Medicine & Health, a news publication focused on U.S. health policy development. He is the author of numerous articles and three books including “The Bitter Pill: Tough Choices in America’s Health Policy” (McGraw-Hill, 1989); “A New Deal for Health Care,” (Faulkner & Gray, 1993); and “The Healthcare 500,” (Faulkner & Gray, 1994).

Mr. Sorian holds a joint degree in Journalism and Political Science from The George Washington University. In 1989, he was awarded the Harvard Journalism Fellowship for Advance Studies in Public Health.