LTC 100 is the premier conference for executives in skilled nursing, long-term care and transitional care to share best practices, strategize for the future and help position the sector for success in the rapidly changing health care environment.

Charlene Frizzera will be a panelist during the session titled: “A View from Inside the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”  Charlene joins 40 other speakers, CMS insiders, and experts who are contributing to the 15-session program. The program will address critical issues for the skilled nursing sector, including: The 2012 elections and their impact on health care; the Pioneer ACO Program; Bundled Payment Pilots; CEO strategies for success; a provider think tank on cost/quality improvements; strategies for rural providers; a future view of health care delivery in a world of socially connected consumers; techniques for managing organizational change; and much more. The complete program is available at ltc100.com.

“The direction of long-term care is a foundational component of the future of health care in this country,” said Leavitt Partners senior advisor Charlene Frizzera. “Long-term care providers will need to solidify their value proposition to succeed in a rapidly changing health care system that will reward efficiency and effectiveness.”

About Leavitt Partners

Leavitt Partners is a health care intelligence business. Through its member-based collaboration called Health Intelligence Partners™ and direct services to clients, the firm provides the best available window to the future of health care. By conferring with an authoritative group of health care thought leaders known as FuturePanel™ and applying a qualitative predictive model called FutureFrame™, Leavitt Partners helps clients see the future of American health care. For more information visit LeavittPartners.com or call (801) 538-5082.

About FuturePanel™

FuturePanel™ is an authoritative group of health care thought leaders who inform, refine and guide the health care intelligence shared by Leavitt Partners. FuturePanel members include former senior executives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, national leaders in health information technology, veterans of state-level health care policy, clinical experts and economic and legal professionals. Together, they provide Leavitt Partners with perspective and commentary from many of the people who have shaped and continue to guide the future of America’s health care system.

Registration
LTC 100 is exclusively for CEOs, Presidents, CFOs, COOs and selected VPs from skilled nursing, long term care and transitional care organizations with at least $40M in revenue. For details and registration information, please visit ltc100.com or contact Emily Sciascia at (203) 644-1701.

About Lincoln Healthcare Events:
Lincoln Healthcare Events is an independent producer of C-level leadership conferences for the health care industry. The company strives to positively impact the quality and effectiveness of the U.S. health care system by helping to educate and share best practices among its business leaders.

“Health care executives share the common opportunity and pain of an industry undergoing tumultuous change,” said Leavitt Partners President and CEO, Rich McKeown. “We’ve designed Health Intelligence Partners as a forum for C-suite executives from leading companies to leverage ideas, share intelligence, challenge assumptions and, in the end, improve their value propositions. We welcome leading health care companies to join us.”

Health Intelligence Partners (HIP) is led by seasoned health care policy experts David Merritt and Kelly Crowe.

David Merritt, a senior advisor at Leavitt Partners, is a nationally recognized expert in health policy, sought-after speaker, author and policy advisor. Merritt edited Paper Kills, an award-winning book about the promise and challenge of implementing health information technology.

Kelly Crowe, a vice president at Leavitt Partners, is a former vice president at the Center for Health Transformation. Prior to this, Crowe worked with the Advisory Board Company to help leading hospitals and health systems apply best practices and improve financial performance. She is a 13-year veteran, highly-ranked equity analyst covering the health care industry.

“Health care executives face significant uncertainty as new regulations, mergers, innovations and technological advancements continually change the industry,” said Merritt. “Health Intelligence Partners provides a collaborative and thought-provoking setting for senior executives to compare ideas, share intelligence and build helpful relationships to navigate a complicated and challenging health care future.”

In addition to interaction with David Merritt and Kelly Crowe, members of the Health Intelligence Partners collaboration receive intelligence briefings led by principals at Leavitt Partners, including former Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, Michael O. Leavitt. Members also have access to FuturePanel™, an authoritative group of health care thought leaders. FuturePanel members include the following:

Michael O. Leavitt—Leavitt Partners Chairman, former secretary of HHS

Joel Ario—former director of the Office of Insurance Exchanges, HHS, and Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner

Robin Arnold-Williams—former executive policy director, Washington State Governor’s Office

Thomas Barker—former acting general counsel for HHS

Dr. David Blumenthal—former national coordinator for health information technology and current professor of medicine and health care policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Charlene Frizzera—former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Dr. James Madara—executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Medical Association

Karen Milgate—former deputy director of the Center for Strategic Planning at CMS

Dr. John Nelson—past-president of the American Medical Association and Leavitt Partners chief medical officer

Ray Scheppach—former executive director of the National Governors Association

Dr. Barry Straube—former chief medical officer for CMS

Vince Ventimiglia—former assistant secretary for legislation, HHS

Ronald Williams—former chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc.

Susan Winckler—former chief of staff for the Food and Drug Administration

Together, Governor Leavitt, FuturePanel and Leavitt Partners principals offer HIP members the industry’s best intelligence on today’s leading issues, including questions about the health reform law, changes to provider reimbursement, Medicaid and state actions, drug development and innovation, and future trends in health information technology.

The database of trading partner connections can easily, quickly and economically help identify the source of suspect product, as well as track it throughout the supply chain. Since the system works with existing electronic documents, it requires no special labeling, hardware or software; and can be deployed for no more than the cost of an average monthly cell phone bill. The database will reduce tracking times from weeks to minutes, so affected products can quickly be identified and removed from all trade channels, which can ultimately save lives. The partnership expects to commence operation with a select number of retailers, foodservice operators, wholesalers and manufacturers in the next few months.

“The federal and state level food and drug tracking and tracing laws are placing a significant responsibility on retailers, manufacturers and other suppliers to know exactly where their product comes from and where it’s going to. Our partnership with Park City Group will deliver a very comprehensive and inexpensive solution for clients that both meets regulatory obligations and generates supply chain productivity opportunities,” said Rich McKeown, President of Leavitt Partners. “The Park City Group solution not only exists today, but is proven, scalable and very cost effective.”

The partnership will leverage Park City Group’s proven product synchronization technology that has been processing millions of transactions daily between retailers, foodservice operators and suppliers for more than a decade.  The system is known for its ability to maintain perpetual inventories, track product movement, and as a trusted provider of information used to settle financial transactions among trading partners.  The new offering provides a low-cost, best practice solution for tracking and tracing products in the grocery and pharmaceutical supply chains.   Other benefits from the system are enhanced customer loyalty, compatibility with any standard or in-house systems including GS1, sophisticated security, multi-platform connectivity and adherence to ever-changing traceability mandates.

“As a single point of connection for thousands of participants in the food and drug supply chain, the new partnership addresses the systemic challenge of a one-to-many information exchange through our easy-to-use web-based technology. By working with Leavitt Partners, our clients gain access to the most experienced team of food and drug safety experts on the planet, and the combination of the two organizations ensures that all regulatory requirements are efficiently and cost effectively met. It’s currently anticipated that the partnership will be a newly created entity primarily capitalized by independent investors,” said Randall K. Fields, Chairman and CEO of Park City Group.

FuturePanel members include former senior executives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, national leaders in health information technology, veterans of state-level health care policy, clinical experts and economic and legal professionals.

Together, they provide Leavitt Partners with perspective and commentary from many of the people who have shaped and continue to guide the future of America’s health care system.

FuturePanel members include the following health care thought leaders:

Michael O. Leavitt, chairman, former secretary of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Joel Ario, former director of the Office of Insurance Exchanges, HHS, and Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner

Robin Arnold-Williams, former executive policy director, Washington State Governor’s Office

Thomas Barker, former acting general counsel for HHS

Dr. David Blumenthal, former national coordinator for health information technology and current professor of medicine and health care policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Charlene Frizzera, former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Dr. James Madara, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Medical Association

Karen Milgate, former deputy director of the Center for Strategic Planning at CMS

Dr. John Nelson, past president of the American Medical Association and Leavitt Partners chief medical officer

Ray Scheppach, former executive director of the National Governors Association

Dr. Barry Straube, former chief medical officer for CMS

Vince Ventimiglia, former assistant secretary for legislation, HHS

Ronald Williams, former chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc.

Susan Winckler, former chief of staff for the Food and Drug Administration

Members of FuturePanel inform the health care intelligence of Leavitt Partners through consultations, interdisciplinary conference calls and quarterly briefings.

The insights and experience of FuturePanel provide valuable perspective on new legislation, regulations, technologies, innovation and market dynamics affecting the health care landscape.

“Our goal is to provide the private sector with unrivaled access to some of the greatest minds in health care,” said Leavitt Partners CEO Rich McKeown. “FuturePanel provides our clients with a cross-disciplinary view of critical health care intelligence and enables them to make smart strategic planning decisions based on the best available information.”

FuturePanel integrates with and complements a suite of offerings from Leavitt Partners, all designed to supplement the thinking and reach of senior executives in leading hospital systems, insurance companies, medical device firms, pharmaceutical businesses and entities serving those sectors.

Leavitt Partners is also home to a decision engine platform called FutureFrame™ and a health care collaboration tool called Health Intelligence Partners™.

FutureFrame is a qualitative predictive model that helps executives develop, monitor and improve upon planning assumptions. By focusing on uncertainty, the model helps executives formulate more informed beliefs about the future of health care and implications to their enterprise.

Health Intelligence Partners is a member-based health care executive collaboration that provides executives with valuable opportunities to interact on topics related to the future of health care.

Members partner with industry leaders, policy experts and a network of peers to move uncertainty towards clarity. Strategic tabletop exercises, professional briefings, surveys and trend surveillance provide members with deeply relevant intelligence so they can make informed decisions about the business of health care.

Leavitt Partners, through FuturePanel, FutureFrame and Health Intelligence Partners, delivers comprehensive health care intelligence and the best available window to the future of American health care.

"As a health care intelligence business, we depend on a talented staff to bring a deep and diverse background of health care expertise," said Leavitt Partners CEO Rich McKeown. "David and Kelly bring a seasoned background in national health care policy and an attractive mix of financial and strategy expertise in the health care sector. Together they will significantly strengthen an already outstanding team of health care intelligence experts."

Mr. Merritt and Ms. Crowe will be instrumental in creating a new, member-based health care intelligence service at Leavitt Partners called Health Intelligence Partners. Created as an extension of the unique expertise, experience and products of the firm, Health Intelligence Partners will provide health care executives with valuable and actionable intelligence about the likely future of American health care. This proprietary service will offer extensive research and analysis, input from industry leaders and policy experts, and interaction with a broad and deep network of health care thought leaders. More information about this new service will be released after the first of the year.

"With new mergers, acquisitions, regulations, technology and economic realities, the health care system is changing by the day," said Leavitt Partners Chairman, Gov. Michael O. Leavitt. "It's difficult for health care executives to plan for a future they can't see. Our new service, Health Intelligence Partners, will help executives focus on the uncertainties and bring focus to the likely future of health care. David and Kelly will build the foundation for this new service."

About David Merritt
David Merritt is a nationally recognized expert in health policy and a sought-after speaker, author and policy advisor. He is an advisor to Speaker Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign and earlier in his career served as health policy advisor to the presidential campaigns of Senator John McCain and former Senator Fred Thompson. Merritt edited Paper Kills, an insightful book about the promises and challenges of implementing health information technology. He has a master's degree from Loyola University Chicago and a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University.

About Kelly Crowe
Kelly Crowe is a former Vice President at the Center for Health Transformation. She interfaced directly with clients overseeing all of the Center's business development activities. Prior to this, Ms. Crowe worked with the Advisory Board Company to help leading hospitals and health systems apply best practices and improve financial performance. She is also a thirteen-year veteran as a highly-ranked equity analyst covering the health care industry. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi and a master's degree from the University of Memphis.

About Leavitt Partners

Leavitt Partners is a health care intelligence business providing clients with the best available window to the future of health care. By conferring with an authoritative group of health care thought leaders known as FuturePanel™ and applying a qualitative predictive model called FutureFrame™, Leavitt Partners helps clients see the future of American health care.

"By integrating all the expertise in this collaboration, we are able to deliver unique, cross discipline counsel on critical food safety issues," states Kim Walker, head of the food and agriculture industry focus at Faegre & Benson.

The three collaborating organizations are uniquely positioned to advise food industry stakeholders on safety issues. Founded and chaired by Michael O. Leavitt, former secretary of health and human services, Leavitt Partners is a technical, scientific and regulatory advisory group operating in the health care and food safety sectors. The organization provides assessment services to determine the gap between a company's capabilities and FSMA requirements, support and guidance in writing food plans required under FSMA, expert advice on preparing for a crisis and handling recalls, and real-time updates on food safety issues from regulatory bodies.

"The need to integrate food safety with food quality and new compliance requirements in an environment of budgetary constraint requires broad risk-based thinking and priority setting, and I believe this collaboration will provide that to the food sector," Michael O. Leavitt says.

Faegre & Benson is an international law firm with approximately 450 lawyers and locations in Minneapolis, Denver, Boulder, Des Moines, London and Shanghai. The firm represents many of the world's leading food companies on a wide variety of legal issues. Legal services include advising clients on supply chain management issues; counseling on reporting, recall plans and potential FDA enforcement actions; handling litigation regarding potential claims arising from food contamination, recall or labeling issues; advising on food labeling and recordkeeping requirements; and assisting with risk management. The firm's food, agriculture and biofuels industry focus dates back to 1912 and includes nearly 120 lawyers.

B&D Consulting is a national advisory and advocacy firm based in Washington, D.C., whose advisors have significant federal agency and congressional expertise and have served as lead drafters and negotiators for FSMA and other FDA reform bills. The firm provides federal affairs and coalition-building services such as influencing, monitoring and responding to agency and congressional activity related to food safety; organizing a multi-stakeholder food safety coalition to affect the development of related policies and regulations; building public-private research partnerships to develop food safety technologies; consulting with senior executives on structural and resource allocation for FSMA-mandated services; and providing information on key FDA, congressional and stakeholder activity.

"The leaders of this collaboration directly shaped the FSMA legislation and U.S. food safety policies and have advised the world's leading food companies on legal and technical matters," says Vince Ventimiglia, senior vice president of B&D Consulting's health and life sciences team and former assistant secretary of legislation for the Department of Health and Human Services. "These three organizations are fully equipped to help food companies or stakeholder coalitions develop comprehensive solutions in this changing regulatory environment."

The collaboration has become operational as of Oct. 26, 2011, and is prepared to advise companies in the food industry on FSMA requirements and compliance.

In January 2012, Faegre & Benson will combine with the law firm Baker & Daniels LLP to form a new firm of approximately 770 lawyers and 45 consultants, Faegre Baker Daniels. B&D Consulting is a division of Baker & Daniels and will become FaegreBD Consulting when the firms combine. The food safety solutions group will continue to operate under this new arrangement.

Leavitt Partners, founded and chaired by Michael O. Leavitt, advises clients in the health care and food safety sectors. The firm applies its experience, knowledge and a network of global relationships to supplement the thinking and reach of senior executive teams.

About Faegre & Benson

Faegre & Benson LLP offers a full complement of legal services to clients ranging from emerging enterprises to multinational companies. Our 450 lawyers handle complex transactions and litigation matters throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in Minneapolis in 1886, our firm is one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States. From our offices in innesota, Colorado, Iowa, London and Shanghai, Faegre & Benson has served clients in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit Faegre.com.

About B&D Consulting

B&D Consulting is a national advisory and advocacy firm based in Washington, D.C. Whether developing a business or advancing a mission, the firm's professionals serve clients across key sectors of the U.S. economy, including government, health and life sciences, energy and environment, education, and financial services. B&D Consulting is a division of Baker & Daniels LLP, an international law firm with offices in Indiana, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Beijing. On Jan. 1, 2012, Baker & Daniels will combine with Faegre & Benson to become Faegre Baker Daniels, and the consulting division will become FaegreBD Consulting. The combined firm will have U.S. offices in Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Colorado and international offices in London, Beijing and Shanghai. For more information about B&D Consulting or Baker & Daniels, visit BakerDConsulting.com or BakerDaniels.com.

In a column published in today’s Orlando Sentinel they opine that Congress should look to the five-year track record of Part D as a template for controlling costs for the rest of Medicare.

“Policymakers should be dubious of efforts to tamper with the program [Medicare] by requiring new special payments from drug makers, outright rationing of medicines, or creating a plan under direct government control,” they write in the exclusive editorial published in Florida’s second-largest paper.

“Instead, Medicare Part D, the best and most successful part of Medicare, should be looked at as a model for the entire Medicare program and beyond.”

Michael O. Leavitt, a former three-term governor of Utah, served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2005-2009. He is the founder and chairman of Leavitt Partners, a firm that advises clients in the health and food safety sectors.

Tommy G. Thompson, a former governor of Wisconsin, served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001-2005. He is now a partner at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

Prior to Alegent, Sensor served as the president and CEO of Christus Schumpert Health System in Louisiana and as the CEO of Integris Bass Baptist Health Center in Oklahoma.

A sought after speaker and health care thought leader, Sensor has testified before congressional committees, presented as a keynote to professional organizations across the nation and been appointed to serve on the National Governors Association’s State Alliance on e-Health.

“At this stage in my career, I am deeply focused on helping entities achieve clinical excellence and cost-efficient care,” said Sensor, who views health system reform as an economic and ethical imperative for payers, providers and patients. “Leavitt Partners is a great place for me to lend my passion and expertise.”

“The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has named a former senior U.S. government official and Botswana's former president to co-chair an external review of its financial systems, amid heightened scrutiny from donors over misuse of some grants and a potential funding reduction from the U.S.”

“The appointment of Mr. Leavitt, a former Republican governor of Utah who held two cabinet positions under George W. Bush, puts a seasoned U.S. expert in politics, management, and global health on the panel [emphasis added]. Mr. Leavitt served as Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2005 until 2009.” (Read the complete article here.)

“The Global Fund is the world’s most powerful tool in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria and the American people are rightly proud of its success,” said Michael O. Leavitt. “It will be my job as co-chair of this independent review to make certain that the Global Fund’s financial controls meet high standards of professionalism and that, if necessary, improvements are made to increase the funds ability to improve lives.”

SALT LAKE CITY – (February 28, 2011) Leavitt Partners’ chairman Michael O. Leavitt and senior advisor Thomas Barker encouraged Congress to fix the flaws in Medicare competitive bidding, but continue to allow competitive forces to create value for Medicare beneficiaries and the taxpayer. That was the message of a featured op-ed in The Washington Times, published today.

Leavitt and Barker highlight in the op-ed the history of Medicare competitive bidding, which was initially authorized by Congress in 2003. The initial pilot project yielded encouraging results – a 29 percent and $1.4 billion savings by 2012. Over time, trade associations and advocacy groups were able to delay the full implementation of the program. The Obama administration wisely reinstituted the program, which went into effect on January 1 of this year, with a second phase to begin in June.

Several suggestions for the bidding process are highlighted in the op-ed, as is a stern recommendation to continue with competitive bidding as a means to create value in the Medicare system.

The Food Safety Modernization Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today and is headed for the president’s signature, represents the most sweeping overhaul of the food safety system in almost 75 years. Former HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and former FDA Associate Commissioner of Foods David Acheson praised the Act for the public health benefits provided to American consumers.

 “This is the most significant change to food safety regulation in 75 years,” said David Acheson who served in multiple food safety leadership roles at FDA. “It represents the basis for significant and immediate public health gains for the American public.”

The new law expands FDA’s authorities and places new requirements on growers, manufacturers, transporters, processors, importers and retailers. New authorities for FDA include expanded access to records, mandatory recall authority and the ability to require that imported food is certified for being in compliance with U.S. regulations.

 “The system was badly in need of modernization,” said former HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, who was a proponent of the food safety legislation when he was secretary and who led President Bush’s Import Safety Working Group, which created an action plan for import safety and laid some of the groundwork for the current legislation. “What makes this agreement so remarkable is that it is generally welcomed by business and consumers, which tells you how essential this legislation is to the health of our people and the strength of our economy.”

The new law will have a significant impact on the food industry at all levels of the supply chain, both domestically and outside the U.S. Growers and harvesters will be required to comply with science-based standards for the safe production and harvest of produce. New regulations will be developed for the safe transportation of food. Registered facilities will be required to conduct an analysis of hazards and develop a plan for implementing and monitoring preventive controls to mitigate risk. Importers will be required to verify that imported products meet U.S. regulations.

 “The passage of food safety legislation is a major public health victory and Congress deserves credit for getting it done,” said Leavitt. “This is a foundation that will allow Americans to have less foodborne illness and businesses to have a modern and workable system.”

About Leavitt Partners

Leavitt Partners advises clients in the health care and food safety sectors. The firm applies its experience, knowledge and a network of global relationships to supplement the thinking and reach of senior executive teams. For more information visit LeavittPartners.com or call 801-538-5082.

Michael O. Leavitt — Leavitt is the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Much of the groundwork for the pending legislation was put in place during his five years as HHS secretary. Leavitt is now the founder and chairman of Leavitt Partners where he advises clients in the health and food safety sectors.

David Acheson — Acheson is a food safety and infectious disease expert. He has held multiple posts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including serving as the former Associate Commissioner of Foods, Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection and Chief Medical Officer at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Acheson is the managing director of the Food and Import Safety Practice at Leavitt Partners.

Rich McKeown — McKeown is the former chief of staff at HHS and was the lead negotiator for FDA with the Chinese import safety ministries. These negotiations led to a landmark agreement in 2007 between the U.S. and China on food safety.

“The Utah Compact” is an important development.

The principles are consistent with my own beliefs and could be a useful guide to any legislative attempt to fix America’s broken immigration system.

View The Utah Compact at UtahCompact.com.

Utah Compact provides starting point for Congress
By Michael O Leavitt (April 10, 2011)

Utah lost a beloved public servant this past weekend with the passing of Rod Marrelli, executive director of the Utah State Tax Commission. I was fortunate to serve with Rod for nearly a decade as he worked tirelessly to manage Utah’s tax system. It was a job that he loved and a job that he gave his all – making certain that every Utahn was well served. In many ways, the power of government is the power to tax. Rod knew this well and took great care to make sure that he, and everybody around him, dispatched their duties with complete professionalism. Professionalism for Rod meant not only competency and efficiency, but also sensitivity … a caring nature for those who worked for him and for the people of this state whom he served. Rod’s policy legacy will be his emphasis of compliance over enforcement, his protection of “Main Street” retailers and fairness through sales tax simplification and his more than decade-long effort to modernize the state’s outdated computer systems. For his service, our state is far better than before. I extend my condolences to his family and express my gratitude for his dedicated public service for which every Utahn should be proud.

Contact:

Natalie Gochnour

801-509-1198

Natalie@leavittpartners.com

The year was 1993 and Utah had just elected a young governor who understood the power of technology to transform state government, enliven an economy and improve the lives of every Utahan. Ten months after being sworn in, Gov. Leavitt challenged every information technology professional in Utah to achieve a new level of performance.

 “I believe we are entering an exciting new era in society,” Gov. Leavitt said in his address at the Electronic Highway Summit November 8, 1993 (the full text of which is available here). “Our world is becoming an information ecosystem, and the ramifications are monumental. Futurists believe there will be a massive shift in the nature of work and that the impact of the information age may be as great as the societal changes that occurred during the industrial revolution.”

Leavitt didn’t stop there. He affirmed that information technology leadership may be the most important issue of the time.

“The thoughtful and informed management of these exciting opportunities for increased productivity, improved government services, a new arena of business and entrepreneurial opportunity, and an enhanced quality of life may be the most important item on the public policy agenda for our state and nation in the next generation,” said Leavitt in his summit speech.

Leavitt went on in this seminal speech to challenge IT professionals and state government leaders to change the way they think, focus more on technology than bricks and mortar, use technology to improve productivity, make available electronically state information, and encourage a strong competitive environment among private communications companies.

The foundation had been set and Gov. Leavitt, in collaboration with his Cabinet, state IT professionals, state workers, business and residents, began a more than decade-long march to make his vision a reality.

During the Leavitt Administration, Utah took giant steps to become a technology leader. Among others, the list of major accomplishments includes…

• Online services. By the end of his service, state government provided more than a hundred state services online. Utah.gov was voted the “Best on the Web” by the Center for Digital Government in 2003 under Leavitt’s leadership.

• Digital signatures. In 1995, Utah became the first state to pass legislation recognizing digital signatures as a legal means to authenticate electronic communications.

 • Western Governors University. Gov. Leavitt was an original innovator, founder and force behind the creation of the Western Governors University, the nation’s first fully accredited online university to offer competency-based degrees. WGU now serves over 20,000 students from all 50 states and is both nationally and regionally accredited.

• 800 megahertz technology. Gov. Leavitt led the adoption of 800 megahertz technology to establish a communication link for law enforcement. This technology proved critical during the security efforts for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, which was the first major world event after the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

• Utah Electronic High School, computers and broadband for Utah schools. Gov. Leavitt led efforts to create Utah’s online high school and increase the number and speed of computers in Utah schools.

 • Math and science charter schools. Gov. Leavitt paved the way and supported the creation of six math and science charter schools. He did this because he recognized the importance of training more scientists, engineers and computer scientists for the Utah economy. During his time in office he challenged Utah to double the number of engineers, computer scientists and scientists trained in Utah’s colleges and universities.  His vision in this area has culminated with the successful launch of the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative, otherwise known as USTAR.

 • Wide area network and e-mail. Gov. Leavitt led state efforts to expand the state’s wide area network and to make e-mail ubiquitous. In part, because of these advancements, Utah was one of only two states in 2002 to earn an “A” ranking in technology from the Government Performance Partnership.

 • Utah Silicon Valley Alliance. Gov. Leavitt made a personal commitment to actively recruit technology companies to the Beehive State. He said at the time that he wanted to spend more time in Silicon Valley than Gray Davis, the sitting governor of California. Intel, Micron, Gateway, Cadence, Novell and others all increased their commitment to Utah during Gov. Leavitt’s service. Utah sustained the longest economic expansion in modern economic history during the Leavitt Administration, driven, in part, by technology growth.

• Smart Utah. Gov. Leavitt advanced the wiring of rural Utah through an initiative called Smart Utah.  Now Utah is among the most wired states in the nation and rural Utah is an active participant in the digital economy.

 • Utah’s genetic database. Gov. Leavitt supported the enhancement of Utah’s data assets in genetics and personalized medicine.  Utah is now a leader among states in genetic research.

 In honor of these and other accomplishments that led Utah proudly into the digital age, the Utah Technology Association will induct Gov. Mike Leavitt into the UTC Hall of Fame tonight at a black tie gala at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Leavitt will join other pioneers in Utah’s technological achievements who have made global contributions to the information technology and life science industries.

Gov. Leavitt is now the founder and chairman of Leavitt Partners, a firm that advises clients in the health and food sectors. Learn more at LeavittPartners.com.