The IHS Team
Last updated: October 2026
The Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) team has three members. Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, is founder and CEO. Maureen Plumstead, RN, MBA, CPHQ, PCMH CCE, leads NCQA accreditation work. Jezebel James is a member of the team.
IHS is a healthcare consulting firm based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, that provides accreditation consulting, compliance services and program development. Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC, founded IHS in February 2002 and has been its founder and CEO since.
Who is on the IHS team?
- Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (full profile).
- Maureen Plumstead, RN, MBA, CPHQ, PCMH CCE, Senior Consultant, NCQA Accreditation and Recognition (full profile).
- Jezebel James, a member of the IHS team.
Who leads NCQA work at IHS?
Maureen Plumstead leads IHS's NCQA accreditation work. Dr. Goddard leads program development to NCQA standards.
Who leads URAC and program development work at IHS?
Dr. Goddard personally leads IHS's URAC and program-development engagements.
Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Full profile: Thomas G. Goddard
Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, the founder and CEO of Integral Healthcare Solutions, has more than 40 years of experience in law, health, insurance policy research, and management consulting. His practice focuses on helping healthcare and pharmacy-related organizations with accreditation, particularly URAC, VIPPS, and ACHC, as well as healthcare compliance issues. Dr. Goddard founded IHS in February 2002, has been its founder and CEO since, and has consulted on accreditation for health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and other healthcare organizations. He has served as lead consultant for URAC Pharmacy Benefit Management accreditation since the original beta applications in 2007, covering every version from v1.0.
Maureen Plumstead leads IHS's NCQA accreditation work. Dr. Goddard leads program development to NCQA standards. He personally leads IHS's URAC and program-development engagements.
Before going into health care consulting, Dr. Goddard was Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC. In that role he wrote accreditation standards, managed surveyor programs, and adjudicated accreditation appeals. While at URAC and later as a consultant to URAC, he served on accreditation review teams of more than 200 HMOs, PPOs, and health Web sites. In addition, Dr. Goddard served as the Project Manager in URAC's successful effort to obtain deemed status as an accreditation organization (AO) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Dr. Goddard also has served as:
Vice President and General Counsel of NYLCare Health Plans of the Mid-Atlantic
Counsel for Government and Media Relations for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
President and CEO of the Goddard Public Affairs Corporation
Executive Director of the Alliance for Consumer Rights
Dr. Goddard received his B.A. in political science, his law degree from the University of Arizona, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from George Mason University. His doctoral dissertation was on physician decision-making.
Maureen Plumstead, RN, MBA, CPHQ, PCMH CCE
Senior Consultant, NCQA Accreditation and Recognition
Full profile: Maureen Plumstead
Maureen Plumstead, RN, MBA, CPHQ, PCMH CCE, has over 25 years of experience in quality, compliance, accreditation, and licensing leadership roles. She has held corporate positions in national health systems where she implemented an NCQA review process that fostered collaboration, sharing, and successful NCQA surveys. She has held leadership and consulting positions in large medical centers and small regional hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, and managed care organizations.
Maureen has been a Surveyor for the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) since 1996. In this role she has surveyed national and regional health plans for commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace product lines. She has also reviewed and consulted to organizations seeking accreditation in Managed Behavioral Health, Credentialing Organizations, Case Management, Disease Management, Multicultural Health Care, Wellness Programs, Physician Organizations, Long-Term Services and Support, and Patient Centered Medical Homes.
Prior to her managed care positions, she held clinical leadership roles, supervising multiple departments in national health systems. She has led medical centers in the achievement of successful reviews by The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC).
Maureen holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on healthcare operations. She holds an active license as a Registered Nurse in the state of California. She is certified as a professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ) and patient centered medical homes (PCMH CCE). She has received specialized training from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) which led her to introducing the collaborative model to hospitals across the state of California. She has served on committees for the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and on the board for the California Association for Healthcare Quality.
She has a proven track record of excellence and is enthusiastic and committed to the success of the organizations that she serves.
Jezebel James
Jezebel James is a member of the IHS team.
What this is not
- IHS is not an accrediting body and does not grant or influence an accreditation decision.
- The IHS team does not communicate with regulators or accreditors on behalf of clients. IHS drafts the text, and your organization's named contact sends it.
- Team profiles describe credentials and roles. They are not a guarantee of an accreditation outcome, and IHS does not provide legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the members of the IHS team?
The IHS team has three members. Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, is founder and CEO. Maureen Plumstead, RN, MBA, CPHQ, PCMH CCE, leads NCQA accreditation work. Jezebel James is a member of the team.
Who founded IHS, and when?
Dr. Goddard founded Integral Healthcare Solutions in February 2002 and has been its founder and CEO since. IHS is based in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Who leads NCQA accreditation work at IHS?
Maureen Plumstead leads IHS's NCQA accreditation work. Dr. Goddard leads program development to NCQA standards.
Who leads URAC work at IHS?
Dr. Goddard personally leads IHS's URAC and program-development engagements. He is the former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC, where he wrote accreditation standards, managed surveyor programs, and adjudicated accreditation appeals.
What are Maureen Plumstead's credentials?
Maureen Plumstead is a Registered Nurse (RN) with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and an MBA with a focus on healthcare operations. She is certified as a professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ) and in patient centered medical homes (PCMH CCE), and her profile states that she has been an NCQA Surveyor since 1996.
Does the IHS team deal with regulators or accreditors for clients?
No. The team does not communicate with regulators or accreditors on a client's behalf. IHS drafts the documents and your organization's named contact submits and sends them.
Who is the IHS team not for?
The IHS team is not for organizations looking for legal advice or a guaranteed accreditation outcome. IHS is a consulting firm that prepares your organization for the review, and your organization's named contact submits to any accreditor or regulator.
How do I start working with the IHS team?
IHS engagements begin with a complimentary discovery call with Dr. Goddard. IHS sets a fixed fee for the engagement after that call.
Related pages
About IHS, the services catalog, and contact IHS.