Mary Ellen Dalton, PhD, MBA, RN
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Dalton is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HSAG, a position to which she brings 35-plus years of experience in Medicare, Medicaid, and the private healthcare industry sector. In her role as CEO, she provides Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) guidance in developing strategic vision, leadership, and direction for Medicare goals in Arizona and California. She has been instrumental in the growth of the organization over and above the company’s QIO responsibilities by providing the strategy for External Quality Review (EQR) contracts with state Medicaid agencies in 19 states across the nation. This entails ensuring quality, access, and timeliness of healthcare. As a National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)-certified HEDIS® compliance auditor™, Dr. Dalton also conducts audits of Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health plans to ensure data collection and reporting procedures are in compliance with specifications and are comparable to reported rates from other health plans. Dr. Dalton earned her RN in 1970 in New Jersey and her Bachelor of Science from Colorado Women’s College in 1977. She earned her Master of Business Administration in 1999 from the Executive Program at Arizona State University (ASU) and her PhD in Public Administration in 2008, also from ASU, where she currently serves as an adjunct faculty member. Dr. Dalton presently serves as the Chair of HSAG’s Board of Directors. Moreover, she serves as a Board member for Arizona Health-e Connection and for the non-profit Boys Hope Girls Hope in Phoenix, as well as the newly formed non-profit Challenge Foundation associated with All Saints Episcopal Day School. She is also a member of the Cardon Children’s Hospital Advisory Council, and has established a student scholarship foundation at Arizona State University.
