Dr. Richard Bottner serves as the Vice President of Clinical Excellence at the Colorado Hospital Association. At CHA, Dr. Bottner leads the association’s Center for Clinical Leadership and Excellence, a grant-funded department focused on improving hospital care across the state through legislative and regulatory advocacy, disseminating thought-leadership, and leading multi stakeholder problem-solving. Dr.Bottner’s focus areas include alternative payment models centered on quality and population health measures, behavioral health and substance use disorders, maternal health, health care workforce, and health equity. Prior to joining CHA, Dr. Bottner was on faculty at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin where he led statewide systems improvement related to substance use disorders, and authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles and delivered hundreds of lectures on this topic. Dr.Bottner completed undergraduate studies at Babson College, followed by a Master’s degree in PA studies from Quinnipiac University and a Doctor of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.