Sue Thompson, chief executive officer of UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge, has been appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, usually referred to as MedPAC.

Gene L. Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, announced Thompson’s selection Thursday along with the reappointment of five current members of the commission and the designation of Dr. Francis “Jay” Crosson, of Palo Alto, California, as chairman.

Thompson, who will serve an initial three-year term on MedPAC, is the only new commission member. She is also the only Iowan on the commission.

“When it comes to the future of Medicare, MedPAC serves a very important advisory role. A number of extremely strong applicants expressed an interest in serving on the Commission, and I am very pleased to name this latest appointment,” Dodaro said in a statement released by the GAO Thursday.

Thompson expressed excitement about her new role late Thursday.

“I am honored to be appointed to MedPAC and look forward to the opportunity to provide input into policy affecting health care,” she said.

In addition to leading UnityPoint locally, Thompson is senior vice president of integration and optimization with UnityPoint Health. UPH is an integrated delivery system serving Iowa, central and western Illinois, and central Wisconsin. Trinity Regional Medical Center is a senior affiliate of UPH.

Bill Leaver, chief executive officer of UnityPoint Health, said Thursday the leadership team at UPH was “excited and honored” by Thompson’s MedPac appointment.

“We have worked with the MedPAC staff over the last four years on changes to federal health care policy that improve the care to Medicare beneficiaries and change the way health care providers are paid to care for them,” he said. “MedPAC has proven to be the premier source of payment policy advice for members of Congress. Sue has unique qualifications to excel as a commissioner. Not only does Sue have clinical and health care executive experience; she also has the ability to see what the future of health care delivery should look like and the fortitude to bring others along with her. Her addition to the commission brings a rural perspective … at a time when changing how rural health care providers are reimbursed is a keen focus of policymakers.”

Congress established MedPAC in 1997 to analyze access to care, cost and quality of care, and other key issues affecting Medicare. MedPAC is a nonpartisan agency that advises Congress on payments to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program and providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service programs. The comptroller general is responsible for naming new commission members.