Bery Engebretsen, MD

Dr. Engebretsen has had dual administrative and patient care responsibilities since graduating from his Family Medicine Residency in 1970 at the University of Miami. In 2004 he retired as Executive Director after 24 years with Primary Health Care, Inc. In 2005 he rejoined PHC as part-time Medical Director. This Public Health Service, Section 330, Community Health Center also provides related programs that include three major facilities, a Dental program, a Ryan White HIV program, and various outreach activities (such as the Homeless Program with six clinical sites, Chemically Affected Women’s Project, and the Infant Mortality Initiative). Two days a week he provides direct patient care as a family physician. He is a founding board member of the Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association, an affiliation of Community Health Centers, Migrant Programs, and both of the State Health Departments in Iowa and Nebraska. He was also President of INConcert Care, the practice management network for Iowa and Nebraska CHCs. This organization has developed a network to provide economies of scale for its members, and a centralized Health Information System. He is also currently the director of the Center for Value in Healthcare of the Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association which studies the quality and efficiency of member services. He received a scholarship from the American College of Physician Executives for studies in medical management.

Dr. Engebretsen has performed numerous consultant activities for McKing Consulting Corporation, Charles M. Mathis & Associates, Management Assistance Corporation, and Ray and Associates as well other consulting firms and various HRSA bureaus.  Some of his recent consulting has focused on the BPHC’s OPR process and Technical Assistance on a range of organizational issues.  Dr. Engebretsen’s entire career has been devoted to public sector health care in underserved communities.  He has extensive experience working with diverse population groups, both urban and rural.  Since the early 1980s he has been working to use technology to improve quality and more efficiently provide primary health care.  Many of his efforts are devoted toward developing that “seamless web” in health care delivery systems (today re-incarnated as the “medical home”) that the nation is reaching for.