As expressed at the Commission’s February 12, 2025 Public Meeting:

It is often said that when people are successful, they stand on the shoulders of those who came before them. This observation is especially apt when we contemplate the debt owed by the HSCRC today to Graham Atkinson. Graham was part of the pioneering triumvirate at the HSCRC that included Hal Cohen, of course, and Jack Cook. Hal chose Graham, an Oxford graduate, to serve as his Chief of Methodology. He served in that position with both technical expertise and keen policy insight. In particular, Graham was instrumental in the creation of the population-based budgets that were implemented by the HSCRC in the early 1980s. Those budgets, which were unprecedented at the time, broke the traditional relationship between volume and revenues for selected hospitals in isolated geographic markets.​

Graham was admired for his modesty, intelligence and mathematical skill by all who interacted with him. He was a true “renaissance man” who enjoyed reading, hiking, fishing, auto mechanics and music (he mastered the bass in order to help his daughter with her lessons); in his spare time, he taught internet classes on Mayan glyphs (the ancient writing system used in Mesoamerica) that attracted an international following.  The word that most connotes the quality of Graham’s pursuit of all of his endeavors is “excellence.” He was generous with his time, patient with all, and proud of his Scottish heritage. Graham will be fondly remembered by those who had the privilege of knowing him.

Unfortunately, our losses do not end there. This has been a particularly difficult year for HSCRC Hall of Fame Alumni. Over the last 12 months, we also experienced the passing of Lynn Garrison and Rodney Spangler. Lynn was the longtime Chief of Hospital Regulation, while Rodney served as Chief of Audit and Compliance. Both Lynn and Rodney were invaluable assets to the HSCRC, as well as to the industry. Both Lynn and Rodney were two of the “Go-To” staffers at the HSCRC, and they wore their association with the Commission on their sleeves with pride, even long after their service. They, too, are sorely missed.