William Riley

William Riley is professor for the Science of Health Care Delivery in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU). Riley is a leading authority in health care finance and serves as the director of the National Safety Net Advancement Center, which assists safety net organizations respond to health care payment reform. Riley is also a national and international expert in quality improvement methods, techniques, and implementation. He leads translational research projects in international settings, oral health value-based care, and multisector alignment to achieve a culture of health.

Riley’s research includes a longitudinal nationwide study funded by the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to improve perinatal outcomes and reduce malpractice cost. He also led a five-year study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to examine high reliability teams for state health department emergency operations centers. He has led numerous quality improvement collaboratives (QIC) in hospitals, health care systems, and public health departments. One of his quality improvement projects was selected by the Institute for Quality Health Improvement (IHI) as a top ten innovation in 2006. Riley is the author of more than 80 scientific articles and is coauthor of two books on applying quality improvement methods and techniques in health care.

Riley has more than 20 years’ executive experience as a former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of several health care organizations, including a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota subsidiary, a large multispecialty medical group, and an integrated delivery system. Prior to joining ASU, he was the associate dean for the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.