Jeff Margolis Receives American Jewish Committee’s 2009 National Human Relations Award Recognizing His Contributions to Improving Healthcare and Community

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The TriZetto Group, Inc., announced that its founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Jeff Margolis, will be the recipient today of the 2009 National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee (AJC), one of the nation’s oldest and most respected human rights organizations. Margolis was selected by the AJC in recognition of his dedicated efforts to improve the U.S. healthcare system and tireless commitment to community service. A reception and dinner honoring Margolis are scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.

“In word and deed, Jeff certainly has demonstrated commitment both to community and to his profession.”

Honorary co-chairs of the event include Dr. Richard Afable, M.D., president and chief executive officer at Hoag Hospital; Michael Drake, M.D., chancellor of the University of California Irvine; Edward Kennedy, Jr., president of Marwood Group; Dan Spirek, TriZetto’s executive vice president & chief strategy and marketing officer; and Jim Sullivan, senior vice president and general counsel of TriZetto.

“The National Human Relations Award is presented to leaders who, with their skills, influence and dedication, distinguish themselves through their professional achievements and their commitment to good works,” explained Rabbi Marc Dworkin, executive director of the AJC’s Orange County chapter. “In word and deed, Jeff certainly has demonstrated commitment both to community and to his profession.”

“For the past century, AJC has combated all forms of bigotry and implemented programs that are deeply rooted in the American democratic values we all cherish,” noted Margolis. “I am greatly honored to be recognized by an organization that has worked so diligently and successfully to build bridges of understanding.”

Over a 25-year career dedicated to improving the U.S. healthcare system, Margolis has earned broad recognition as a futurist and advocate for the innovative application of information technology (IT) to all areas of the healthcare industry. Currently, he is helping the industry understand Integrated Healthcare Management, a new systematic model that can improve the coordination of benefits and care for consumers and the subject of his recently published book, The Information Cure.

A systems scientist and information technologist by training, Margolis has spent his entire professional career architecting IT systems and services for some of the nation’s largest and most innovative healthcare organizations. TriZetto, which he founded in 1997, is the largest supplier of software and related services for the healthcare insurance industry. Its technology touches half of the insured population of the United States and is the most trusted choice for many payers, including almost two-thirds of the nation’s independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations.

In addition to recently joining the board of directors of Hoag Hospital, Margolis serves on the advisory board of The University of California at Irvine’s Center for Healthcare Management & Policy, where he regularly lectures on healthcare IT. He is a member of the board of governors of Cedars-Sinai and national board member for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Margolis also is a guest faculty member in the Harvard School of Public Health's Forces of Change program: New Strategies for the Evolving Health Care Marketplace program and regular lecturer at several other universities and industry trade group programs.

Before founding TriZetto, Margolis was a senior vice president and the chief information officer of FHP International Corp., a $4 billion healthcare company that operated health plans, multi-specialty physician clinics, hospitals and pharmacies serving more than 2 million members and patients. Prior to that, he was chief information officer of TakeCare, Inc., and CompreCare, Inc. Margolis began his career in the management information systems consulting group of the organization now known as Accenture, where he helped launch the company’s managed care consulting practice. Margolis holds CPA certificates in several states.

Building community has been a passion for Margolis. He has helped broker intergroup dialogue as a Jewish community liaison to the University of California Irvine. Margolis has furthered interfaith relations and social action programs benefiting the Orange County community as co-chair of the Jewish Federation of Orange County’s Rose project and as president of Temple Bat Yam, a 600-family Reform Jewish congregation in Newport Beach. Additionally, he serves on the advisory board of Hillel, an organization that provides a sense of community and affiliation for Jewish students attending area universities.

About American Jewish Committee

American Jewish Committee (AJC), established in 1906 by a small group of American Jews deeply concerned about pogroms aimed at Russian Jews, determined that the best way to protect Jewish populations in danger would be to work toward a world in which all people were accorded respect and dignity. More than 100 years later, AJC continues its efforts to promote pluralistic and democratic societies where all minorities are protected. AJC is an international think tank and advocacy organization that attempts to identify trends and problems early -- and take action. In addition to its New York headquarters and Office of Government & International Affairs in Washington, AJC has 29 chapters and three independent affiliates in the United States and eight overseas offices. In addition, AJC has 28 global partnerships.

About TriZetto

Founded in 1997, TriZetto is the leading privately held healthcare information technology company to the healthcare payer industry. With its technology touching half of the U.S. insured population, TriZetto is Powering Integrated Healthcare Management™, the systematic application of processes and shared information to optimize the coordination of benefits and care for the healthcare consumer. The company’s offerings include enterprise and component software, hosting, outsourcing services and consulting that help payers implement and optimize their operations and minimize the risk of bringing new products to market that drive competitive differentiation.