Mr. James Couch, MD

biography

James Couch, M.D., J.D., FACPE is the Chief Medical Officer of NWHS. Dr. Couch is a distinguished senior physician and attorney with over 20 years of accomplishments in developing and implementing systems to improve health care quality and value. He is the first physician trained to apply Six Sigma analysis to the healthcare and financial industries. As a key implementer of the New Jersey Leap Frog Initiative, he has developed and promoted national patient safety policies, processes and strategic alliances for fortune 50 clients. He was also instrumental in the development of the Malcolm Baldrige Award for Health Care and New York and Connecticut’s state health care quality awards, patterned on the Baldridge Award.

Prior to joining NWHS, Dr. Couch was head of Strategic Development and Chief Medical Officer for American Re where he helped design the global healthcare practice and led the population health initiative for the organization. Through his work at American Re and in his previous role as a consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Dr. Couch is also well versed in the areas of executive leadership recruitment and development, information and process management, operations, medicolegal issues and risk management.

Dr. Couch was one of the first physician executives to publish national articles on value-based purchasing in healthcare, which is now being embraced by the country’s most progressive employers and federal government. Since 1982, he as edited three major books on quality and disease management, served on two Institute of Medicine committees, delivered over 200 presentations, including the First Disease Management Congress with C. Everett Koop, M.D. and has advised the Clinton Task Force and Congress on the strategic role of quality in health care reform.



Dr. Couch will be based in the Princeton, NJ and New York offices of New World Healthcare Solutions.