Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies Professor Matthew Altman is the newest member of the American Hospital Association (AHA) Committee on Governance (COG). Altman was appointed by the AHA Board of Trustees to represent the 9th District, which includes Washington, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Oregon.

Altman is one of 26 representatives who will assist the board’s advocacy efforts in the legislative, judicial, and regulatory areas, policy and resource development, and in determining strategic opportunities.

“My teaching and research often address deep questions concerning medical practice, healthcare, and public policy,” Altman said. “Through the AHA Committee on Governance, I will use my philosophical training to discuss important ethical and political issues, represent the interests of rural hospitals, and contribute to the national conversation about healthcare.”

Altman will serve a three-year term on the committee. COG members are briefed on the current political landscape regarding healthcare and are asked to provide input and suggestions regarding the AHA’s legislative and public policy agendas.

“I’m excited to be involved,” Altman added. “It gives me a chance to use what I know, but I am also learning a lot about the business and politics of healthcare, which I can then bring back to my students, my fellow Board members, and administrators at Kittitas Valley Healthcare.”

Altman is now in his fifth year, of a six-year term, as a member of the Board of Commissioners for Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 1.  He is one of the few AHA COG members representing rural hospitals.

Altman recently returned from his first COG meeting in Denver (February 27-28), where the committee discussed ways to improve billing and collection practices, the AHA’s role in addressing rising healthcare costs, and threats posed by the coronavirus to the supply of medical equipment.
 
Media contact: Robert Lowery, Public Affairs, 509-963-1487, Robert.Lowery@cwu.edu