Dr. Gaus is President and CEO of the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), which he co-found in 2012. NAACOS is the only national organization owned and managed by ACOs. It advocates for ACOs on policy and offers shared learning experiences through conferences, webinars, forums and work groups. Dr. Gaus has a diverse background as a public servant, entrepreneur and health executive. He served in senior health positions under Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Clinton. In the 1970’s and 80’s, as Associate Administrator of HCFA (now CMS), he directed the development of a broad range of innovations in health care financing and delivery, including the DRG hospital payment system, RBRVS physician payment system, Medicare Hospice Programs and Medicare payment of Physician Assistants. From 1994 to 1997 he was the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (now AHRQ). There he developed and funded the first CAHPS survey, the quality measures clearinghouse, guidelines.gov and the Evidence Based Practice Centers program. In the late 90’s he held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of WellPoint Health Networks Inc., managing a staff of over 3,000 employees responsible for all of WellPoint’s physician and hospital networks, medical policy, public affairs, human resources, market research and product branding. Prior to WellPoint, he was Senior Vice President of the national Kaiser Permanente Health System in Oakland, California. He holds a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Michigan and a Doctorate of Science in health care management from The Johns Hopkins University.