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John Birkmeyer, MD, General Surgery, Tacoma, WA

JohnDamianBirkmeyerMD

General Surgery Tacoma, WA

Chief Clinical Officer, Sound Physicians

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Summary

  • As Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Birkmeyer works closely with regional leadership and Sound’s hospital partners nationwide to ensure excellence in clinical quality, safety, patient experience and cost-effectiveness. Dr. Birkmeyer leads efforts to enhance clinical integration across service lines, including emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care and transitional care.

    Dr. Birkmeyer previously served as the Executive Vice President of Integrated Delivery Systems and led clinical operations and academic affairs for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system. He brings deep insight into value-based clinical care, leveraging his experience in academic, quality improvement and operational leadership roles.

    An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, he is author on more than 250 peer-reviewed publications on hospital outcomes and economics. He was a member of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care Working Group and co-author of its watershed report, “The Quality of Medicare in the United States: A Report of the Medicare Program.”

    Dr. Birkmeyer is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. He completed a general surgery residency and medical informatics fellowship at Dartmouth.

Education & Training

  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital
    Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial HospitalResidency, Surgery, 1989 - 1996
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital
    Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial HospitalFellowship, Clinical Informatics, 1991 - 1993
  • Harvard Medical School
    Harvard Medical SchoolClass of 1989
  • Boston College
    Boston CollegeAB, Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude, 1981 - 1985

Certifications & Licensure

  • ND State Medical License
    ND State Medical License 2019 - 2026
  • NH State Medical License
    NH State Medical License 1991 - 2023
  • IL State Medical License
    IL State Medical License 2018 - 2023
  • KS State Medical License
    KS State Medical License 2018 - 2021
  • MI State Medical License
    MI State Medical License 2003 - 2016
  • VT State Medical License
    VT State Medical License 1991 - 1992

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Honorary Fellowship Royal College of Surgeons, 2014
  • CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification EpicCare Ambulatory EMR, Epic Systems Corporation, 2012-2013
  • Honorary induction European Surgical Association, 2012
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Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Case mix, quality and high-cost kidney transplant patients  
    Englesbe MJ, Dimick JB, Fan Z, Baser O, Birkmeyer JD, Am J Transplant, 1/1/2009
  • Surgery: Can checklists improve surgical outcomes?  
    Birkmeyer JD, Miller DC, Nat Rev Urol, 1/1/2009
  • Mortality in medicare patients undergoing surgery in July in teaching hospitals  
    Englesbe MJ, Fan Z, Baser O, Birkmeyer JD, Ann Surgery, 1/1/2009
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Books/Book Chapters

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Other

  • Assessing the value of surgical care 
    Dimick JB, Birkmeyer JD, Value in Health Care: Accounting for Cost, Quality, Safety, Outcomes and Innovation, Institute of M
    1/1/2009
  • Performance measurement in health care: Current status and opportunities for improvement 
    Birkmeyer JD, Kerr EM, Dimick JB, Commissioned background paper for the Institute of Medicine report on pay for performance
    1/1/2005
  • Potential benefits of universal adoption of the 2003 Leapfrog safety standards 
    Birkmeyer JD, Dimick JP, The Leapfrog Group
    Washington, DC - 1/1/2004
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Press Mentions

  • How Hospitals Can Be Successful in a World of Mandatory Bundles — 5 Learnings + Insights
    How Hospitals Can Be Successful in a World of Mandatory Bundles — 5 Learnings + InsightsAugust 20th, 2021
  • U.S. Hospital Admissions for Non-COVID-19 Have Only Partially Rebounded from Initial Decline
    U.S. Hospital Admissions for Non-COVID-19 Have Only Partially Rebounded from Initial DeclineSeptember 25th, 2020
  • The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospital Admissions in the United States
    The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospital Admissions in the United StatesSeptember 24th, 2020
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Grant Support

  • Understanding Racial Disparities In Cancer SurgeryNational Cancer Institute2007–2011
  • Structure, Process And Outcomes In Cancer SurgeryNational Cancer Institute2008–2010
  • Better Surgical Quality Indicators For The ElderlyNational Institute On Aging2006–2007
  • Structure, Process, And Outcomes In Cancer SurgeryNational Cancer Institute2003–2007
  • Structure, Process, And Outcomes In Cancer SurgeryNational Cancer Institute2003
  • Surgical Volume Matters: Helping Patients Pick HospitalsAgency For Healthcare Research And Quality2002
  • Benefits Of Regionalizing Surgery For Medicare PatientsAgency For Healthcare Research And Quality2000–2002

Industry Relationships

  • Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, ArborMetrix2011 - Present