PATRICK G. HAYS, FACHE, RECEIVES
ACHE'S GOLD MEDAL AWARD

CHICAGO, January 2, 2003—Patrick G. Hays, FACHE, of Henderson, NV, has been named the recipient of the American College of Healthcare Executives 2003 Gold Medal Award. Hays will receive the award on March 17, 2003, at the Arthur C. Bachmeyer Memorial Address and Luncheon during ACHE's 46th Congress on Healthcare Management in Chicago.

The Gold Medal Award is ACHE's highest honor bestowed on outstanding leaders who, through a career of service, have made significant contributions to the healthcare profession and field. The purpose of this award is to identify ACHE Fellows who best exemplify leadership at the organizational, local, state/provincial, and national levels. The Gold Medal Award recognizes those individuals who go beyond the confines of their own organization to continually contribute to the improvement of healthcare services and community health.

Board certified in healthcare management and an ACHE Fellow, Hays works as a consultant to several mid-stage development healthcare organizations; he is also a professor at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University, Tempe. In addition, he chairs the Organizational Integrity and Audit Committee for the board of directors of Trinity Health, Novi, MI, and is on the board of commissioners of the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration, Washington, D.C.

Prior to serving as a consultant, Hays was president and chief executive officer of BlueCross BlueShield Association, the national coordinating body for the nation's 44 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, from 1995 to 2000. Before leading BCBSA, he was founding president and chief executive officer of Sutter Health in Sacramento, CA. Hays has also served as administrator for the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, Los Angeles; executive vice president and chief operating officer of Methodist Medical Center in Peoria, IL; and administrator for Operations, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit. Hays began his healthcare career in the United States Army Medical Service Corps, where he served as program administrator for the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for Europe, Middle East, and North Africa.

During Hays's tenure in California, he chaired several organizations, including VHA-Pacific, the California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the Hospital Council of Northern California, and the California Hospitals Political Action Committee. He is a past ACHE Governor and past Regent for California.

Hays received his master's degree in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and his bachelor's degree in management from the University of Tulsa, OK.

CONTACT: Deborah A. Labb, (312) 424-9426

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