Meet dr. ira
Dr. Ira Williams, Author & Healthcare Expert
I believe my books support my personal opinion that I have a deeper, more thorough understanding of our Nation’s Healthcare Delivery System, how it evolved, and why it too often fails those it was created to serve, than any other person because I have recognized what has always been missing in every effort to improve the Quality of Care and Patient Safety during the past several decades.
While Presidents, Congress, and countless others focus primarily on how to pay for healthcare after-the-fact (Cost and Access), the efforts to improve the Quality of Care and Patient Safety continue to demonstrate Einstein’s definition of insanity. Failure by every healthcare expert to recognize the fundamental facts regarding the Healthcare Delivery System, i.e., each state’s responsibility, and the current system being devoid of any true systematic characteristics continue to prove all efforts to improve that system to be empty promises.
I demonstrated healthcare innovation 50 years ago when I, acting solely, organized the first 1-week major surgical mini-residency of any surgical specialty in the nation in Madison, WI. This was for surgical correction of jaw deformities and surgeons from five states participated in this ground-breaking event. Soon after this form of post-graduate training for practicing oral surgeons was rapidly adopted by several surgical training programs across the nation including Parkland Hospital in Dallas Texas. The American College of Ob/Gyn lamented their lack of mini-residencies for their surgeons in the Joint Commission Journal of Quality and Safety in 2003.
Professional Career
- Board certified oral & maxillofacial surgeon & anestesiologist
- Oral surgery residency VA/Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 1963-1966
- Private practice, oral & maxillofacial surgery, Madison, WI 1966-1990
- Wisconsin Society Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (retired) President, 1977-1979
- Chairman, Dental Department and Member, Executive Committee, Medical Staff, Methodist Hospital, Madison, WI, 1974-1976, 1980-1982
Military Career
Dr. Williams was commissioned and received his wings as an Air Force navigator at age 20 and was trained as a bombadier in WWII medium bombers in South Korea in 1954. In 1955 he began flying at 50,000 in the precursor of the U-2 and in 1956 he became a 23 year old squadron commander as well as a summary court martial officer. He was activated out of his internship in 1962 for the Cuban missile crisis and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. He retired as a USAF reserve major and senior navigator and was certified combat-ready in three different types of combat aircraft during his 24 years of service.
His service on the Wing Staff of a combat-ready unit of three squadrons has contributed to his understanding of what has always been missing in our current Healthcare System.