David R. Scrase, MD, is a Board Certified Internist and Geriatrician and the former President of Presbyterian Health Plan and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Presbyterian Healthcare Services, both in New Mexico.  He has now returned to the practice of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, and to a career writing the stories of his most interesting patients.

Dr. Scrase completed his undergraduate and medical training at the University of Michigan, and his Internal Medicine Residency training at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.  In 1995, he received his Masters of Health Services Administration degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Dr. Scrase has been involved in the integrated delivery of healthcare services for more than 30 years.  As a physician executive for over 20 years he has held multiple leadership roles in health system, hospital, medical group, health plan, physician-hospital organization, and information services settings.

Under Dr. Scrase’s leadership as the President of Presbyterian Health Plan from 1998-2007. the Health Plan achieved three Excellent quality ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, one of nine in the United States to achieve that distinction.  In his COO role he had direct responsibility for all Presbyterian hospital and medical group activities across New Mexico, as well as enterprise wide oversight of Presbyterian operations.  During his executive career at Presbyterian, he was named one of New Mexico’s Power Brokers over several consecutive years by The New Mexico Business Weekly. 

He has been active in many New Mexico public policy committees and community organizations. He has served on the Governor’s Insure New Mexico! Committee and currently participates in the Governor’s Health Care for New Mexicans Committee, on the national Ambulatory Quality Association setting quality metrics for professional practice, and on the Executive Committee of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry.

Despite his long administrative career, his first love and understood calling has always been patient care, and he has greatly enjoyed his return to medical practice as his primary role.  David presents a popular series of fascinating medical case presentations at a national level for many years, and has been named one of America’s Best Doctors each year from 1997 to 2010.  Since returning to practice, he has been selected by his peers as Albuquerque’s “Top Doc” in Geriatric Medicine in 2010 and 2011. 

Under the pen name of David Roberts, M.D., he has authored a book, Practice Makes Perfect: How One Doctor Found the Meaning of Lives, which chronicles some of the lessons he has learned from his most interesting patients.

David R. Scrase, M.D., Speaker Bio