James Barber is the president and chief executive officer of the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), a hospital trade association that represents the political, economic and educational needs of about 177 hospitals in six counties (Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Santa Barbara). Founded in 1923, HASC provides public policy analysis, advocacy and representation on regional health issues including the preservation of safety-net services and indigent care funding, trauma and emergency services, application of federal/state/local laws and regulations to hospital operations, licensure and accreditation, quality and patient safety, workforce shortage solutions and nurse training, and media relations.
Mr. Barber is also the chairman and chief executive officer of AllHealth, HASC's wholly owned for-profit business subsidiary. AllHealth operates various businesses that serve hospitals, including security services and physician credentialing. Additionally, he serves as vice chair of the National Health Foundation (NHF), a non-profit charity affiliate of HASC. NHF is an applied research organization that seeks government and private foundation funding for programs to improve access to health care for children and the underserved.
A leader and spokesman for health care issues throughout the region, Mr. Barber is an advisor to the graduate health management programs at USC and UCLA, and is a guest lecturer at these universities and at California State University Los Angeles. He serves on various state and national health-related committees for the California Hospital Association and the American Hospital Association and has written more than a dozen articles and essays for various publications, including Hospitals and Health Networks, Trustee and California Hospitals.
Prior to joining HASC in 1989, Mr. Barber served in various hospital administrative positions in Southern California. He has a Masters of Public Health from UCLA and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from USC.