Saxton will lead NCQA's Quality Solutions Group, strengthening federal collaboration to drive health transformation
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced the appointment of Sarah E. Saxton, MBA, as Senior Vice President of Quality Services. Saxton brings more than 20 years of experience advancing quality, performance measurement, and large-scale transformation across public and private health systems.
In this role, Saxton will lead NCQA's Quality Solutions Group, driving research and implementation efforts that underpin NCQA's evidence-based standards and performance measures. She will also deepen collaboration with federal agencies to advance initiatives that deliver measurable improvements in healthcare systems and patient outcomes.
"Trust in healthcare is fragile-and for good reason. Restoring it demands solutions grounded in empirical measurement, transparent evidence and outcomes that matter to patients. NCQA sets the bar for rigor and accountability, and I'm excited to turn that evidence into practical guidance that health systems, payers and government partners can rely on," shared Saxton.
Saxton joins NCQA from Aptive Resources, where she served as Senior Vice President of Federal Market Strategy, leading enterprise growth and innovation across the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other federal health agencies.
"Sarah's deep expertise in federal healthcare operations and her proven ability to integrate data-driven strategies in complex health environments make her an exceptional addition to the NCQA leadership team," said Tom Fluegel, NCQA Chief Operating Officer. "Her leadership will not only accelerate critical research and transformative solutions but also strengthen partnerships and create new opportunities to help us raise the bar for healthcare quality nationwide."
Before joining Aptive, Saxton served as Senior Vice President and Practice Lead at Ipsos Federal Services, where she built a leading federal health research and evaluation practice. She also held leadership roles at Atlas Research and Booz Allen Hamilton, supporting the VA and the Military Health System to enhance performance measurement, program evaluation, and operational efficiency-initiatives that strengthened care delivery for millions of veterans.
Saxton holds an MBA from Virginia Tech and dual bachelor's degrees in business leadership and marketing research. She is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
About NCQA
NCQA is an independent nonprofit organization that defines and drives healthcare quality through accreditation, standards, performance measurement, and expert support. For more than 35 years, NCQA has advanced transparency, accountability, and enabled healthcare organizations to deliver better outcomes for patients. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is one of healthcare's most widely used performance improvement tools. Learn more at ncqa.org. Follow NCQA on X @ncqa and on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/ncqa.
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SOURCE: NCQA
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/ncqa-names-sarah-e.-saxton-as-senior-vice-president-of-quality-servic-1124960
