Thomas J. Foels

Prior to his retirement in April 2019, Dr. Foels dedicated more than 20 years to Independent Health, first joining the organization in 1997 as associate medical director before being named executive vice president and chief medical officer in 2009. Through Dr. Foels’ leadership, Independent Health has been at the forefront of developing numerous initiatives and programs designed to improve the quality and value of care to its members, including the establishment of Independent Health’s nationally recognized pay-for-performance program. In addition, Dr. Foels was able to assist Independent Health in the fulfillment of the mission and strategy to align with high-performing practices, providing them with the tools and capabilities to accelerate their performance improvement in the new, evolving health care environment. His experience in implementing healthcare strategies that control costs while simultaneously improving quality and customer satisfaction made him a valuable healthcare leader at the local and national levels. Dr. Foels has more than 30 years of experience in health care management and prior to joining Independent Health was in private practice as a pediatrician, founding Western New York’s two largest pediatric group practices: Williamsville Pediatric Center and Tonawanda Pediatrics.