We honor the life and mourn the passing of our friend and colleague Rick Carlson. His professional accomplishments speak to a life of tireless and successful service. He was Clinical Professor of Health Services and Pharmacy at the University of Washington, as well as a valued colleague in the UW Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program, Center for Genomics and Healthcare Equality, and Resource Center for Health Policy. He spent a lifetime contributing to innovative health policy development, including the evolution of HMOs in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Mr. Carlson was one of those responsible for coining the term “health maintenance organization” (HMO) and drafted the original HMO Legislation.

Mr. Carlson was devoted to efforts to limit medicalization and hyperinflation in medical care, culminating in his book, The End of Medicine (1975), joining other voices on the subject, including Ivan Illich with Medical Nemesis and Victor Fuchs with Who Shall Live? Recently, he was focused on the mapping of the human genome and the implications for human health, the delivery of healthcare services, and today’s healthcare delivery system. Anticipating these impacts, Mr. Carlson was a co-author of The Terrible Gift (2003), addressing these issues.

Furthermore, he embraced health enhancement, wellness, disease prevention, and the self-care landscape and was passionate about providing health and healthcare information for consumers to facilitate better and more rational decision-making about healthcare needs. He served as CEO and President of HealthMagic, Inc., Denver, CO, a company that developed a consumer-controlled EMR.

Mr. Carlson received a JD from the University of Minnesota and served as a board member for and skillful advisor to entrepreneurs and organizations committed to the development of affordable, effective healthcare.

We will all remember and celebrate the man he was and his humor, wit, relentless kindness, and passionate curiosity. He brought people together across disciplinary boundaries and always catalyzed productive approaches to tough problems. He is survived by his four children, Rebekah, Josh, Blue, and Joey, and two grandchildren, Aisha and Zoe. He is greatly missed.