WASHINGTON -- The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization representing employers, today announced the selection of retired Vice Adm. Raquel C. Bono, MD, MBA, FACS, (“Rocky”), former CEO and director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), to their Board of Directors. In addition to joining The Leapfrog Group’s Board, Dr. Bono will be keynoting Leapfrog’s Virtual Annual Meeting: A 20/20 Vision for American Health Care Post-Pandemic. Registration for the December 8 meeting is still open.
“Leapfrog is fortunate to welcome Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, an outstanding military leader with a bold and inspiring vision and track record ensuring that patients come first,” said Leapfrog Board of Directors Chairperson, David Goldhill.
As a board-certified trauma surgeon and the first woman surgeon in the military to hold the rank of Vice Admiral, Dr. Bono brings nearly 30 years of distinguished service to The Leapfrog Group’s Board of Directors. After her retirement from the DHA in fall of 2019, she led COVID-19 recovery in Washington state under Governor Jay Inslee. In her time with the DHA, Dr. Bono led a joint, integrated combat support agency that enabled all branches–Army, Navy, and Air Force–of the U.S. military’s medical services to provide health care services to combatant commands. She integrated an unprecedented $50 billion worldwide health care enterprise composed of 50 hospitals and 300 clinics to provide care to 9.5 million military beneficiaries; oversaw the Department of Defense’s deployment of its electronic health record system; and advanced the development of the largest federated health system with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The Leapfrog Group is one of the most effective voices in the country for improving health care safety and quality, so I look forward to contributing to that effort as the country emerges from the pandemic,” said Bono. “Patient safety and transparency are more important now than ever before, and I’m proud to be part of Leapfrog’s leadership saving lives.”