AMGA President, CEO Donald W. Fisher, PhD, Passes at 71
Donald W. Fisher, PhD, AMGA president and CEO for 37 years, died earlier this week after battling cancer.
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By - AMGA President and CEO, Donald W. Fisher, PhD, CAE, passed earlier this week after battling cancer, the healthcare industry group reported. Fisher, who was 71 years old, had led the organization since 1980.
“Don leaves a professional and personal legacy that is not bound by time or physical space,” stated Donn Sorensen, Chair and President of AMGA Board of Directors, East Region, Mercy. “His dedication to advancing the best possible patient care, to leading with integrity, and to building a great place to work, not forgetting to have a little fun while accomplishing much, have made a permanent mark on the hearts of all who knew him. We will miss him greatly.”
Fisher first joined the AMGA’s predecessor AGPA over 37 years ago. Under his leadership, the industry group became the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) and he expanded the organization from just 8,000 practicing physicians in 1980 to 175,000 physicians today.
The healthcare industry group’s members are currently responsible for delivering care to one of out of every three individuals.
As the longtime AMGA head, Fisher was an early value-based purchasing and care delivery advocate. He notably pushed for aligning reimbursement incentives with population health management advancement.
Fisher was also an early support of healthcare data analytics implementation. He viewed data analytics as the key to population health management and founded the organization’s analytics subsidiary in 2000.
AMGA Analytics currently collaborates with Optum to provide shared learning to members through comparative clinical analytics tools.
Prior to joining AMGA, Fisher also demonstrated a passion for healthcare. He was the first Executive Director of the Virginia-based American Academy of Physician Assistants.
He was also a part of the American International Health Alliance as an Executive Committee member and former chair and partook as a member of the American Association of Medical Society Executives, American College of Healthcare Executives, American Society of Association Executives, and IAMMM Center for Health as Social Equity Senior Fellows Advisory Council.
“Don was that rare combination of visionary and doer, plus an amazing friend and family man,” Sorenson added. “He was incredibly proud of AMGA and all of its employees, and for more than 35 years continually drove the organization to achieve excellence, innovation, growth, and service to members and the broader healthcare community.”
“Don was equally as proud of his wonderful family, his children, Kim and Jeff, and their families. On behalf of our board of directors and employees, we extend our deepest sympathies to them.”
