Richard A. (Dick) Thompson, Executive Director
Dick Thompson is the Executive Director and CEO of Quality Health Network (QHN), a privately-funded not-for-profit Quality Improvement Organization, headquartered in Grand Junction, CO. Under Dick's leadership, QHN established a collaborative area-wide infrastructure focused on the pursuit, achievement, and sustenance of health of the area's population. Beginning in August 2004, the organization completed its legal formation, governance, financing, staffing, technology deployment, and began information exchange activities by October of 2005.
The QHN information exchange electronically integrates patient information from disparate hospital, lab, public health, and physician systems in the area. Providers use QHN to access an Electronic Medical Record, a secure community-wide data repository, electronic lab ordering, electronic prescribing, and chronic disease state management modules. The network unites more than 300 providers and 1200 online users to improve their ability to deliver quality outcomes and enhance care management for all segments of the patient population. QHN was a participant in the first demonstration project of the Nationwide Health Information Network and the organization's success has been tracked by several industry publications including NHIN Watch, National Health Information's EMR Advisor, Healthcare IT News, Health Leaders Magazine, Most Wired, and Government Health IT publications. Prior to joining Quality Health Network, Dick was a successful private sector businessman with many years of ownership and management experience with technology development and support organizations. Dick has addressed attendees at several conferences including the 2007 Collaborative Communications Summit, the 2006 Healthcare Internal Auditor's Annual Conference, the Colorado HIMSS Conference, and e-Health Initiative's Kansas City and Salt Lake City Regional Symposiums.< Back