This Week in the C-Suite: A New Feature from MHE

St. Hilaire to succeed Conlin as President and CEO of Horizon in New Jersey

Gary St. Hilaire  of Capital Blue Cross in Harrisburg, Pa., will become president and chief executive officer of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and become a member of the company’s board of directors, effective April 6. Kevin Conlin, the current chairman, president and CEO, of the Newark, NJ, based insurer, will become executive chairman of the board. In a February 11 announcement, Horizon said Conlin will continue to focus on the company’s “planned corporate form transition that will increase the company’s investment in New Jersey’s healthcare economy.”

In November, Horizon announced plans to convert from a not-for-profit health service corporation to a not-for-profit mutual holding company. At present, the insurer can only invest up to 2% of its reserves in a single entity and has limits on income from sources outside its traditional service lines. Horizon had $13 billion in revenues and 3.7 million customers in 2018.

Blue Shield of California puts $40 million toward ending domestic violence, healthy living

Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California, announced a $40 million contribution to the Blue Shield of California Foundation to be spent on programs to end domestic violence and promote healthier living. Last year, the foundation awarded 115 separate grants to groups that include the California Domestic Worker Coalition, which is testing a new model for identifying health and economic security issues. The foundation also funds grants to the US Census Bureau to make sure at-risk groups have access to health and social services.

"We are deeply committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the people and the communities we serve," Markovich says in a statement. "The foundation has an incredibly positive impact through its programs and partnerships with community-based groups across the state."

Chief digital officer switching from Merck to Marriott International

Merck & Co., looking to up Its digital game like many drugmakers, hired Jim Scholefield as its chief digital officer in late 2018. 

Now, according to Forbes, the former Nike executive is leaving Merck and the healthcare sector to join Marriot International in the same role. 

A Merck spokeswoman told FiercePharma that Scholefield departed in December. Dave Williams, Merck's vp of animal health IT, has taken over Scholefield's role in the interim and a search for a permanent replacement is ongoing.

Scholefield, also a board member at Stanley Black & Decker, was brought on by Merck to help boost the company's drug development, IT infrastructure and cybersecurity, joining trendsetters Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer in making the gung-ho digital shift. 

CareATC has new president, chief revenue officer

CareATC, a Tulsa, Oklahoma population health management company that provides primary care services for self-insured employers, has a new president and chief revenue officer.

Scott Strickland, who has over 20 years of experience as a director and executive officer of healthcare companies, has been named CareATC’s president and chief operating officer, according to a company press release. Lisa Ness is joining CareATC as its chief revenue officer. 

CareATC manages more than 150 clients in 35 states and cares for more than 300,000 patients, according to the press release. 

Humana adds two new board members

Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick and John W. Garratt have been elected to Humana’s board of directors. 

Frederick, a surgeon who has researched disparities in cancer outcomes, has been the president of Howard University since 2014 and was the university’s provost and chief academic officer prior to becoming president.

Garratt has been the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Dollar General Corporation since December 2015. Prior to Dollar General, held corporate strategy and financial planning positions with Yum! Brands, the restaurant company.

“The board is excited to have leaders like Wayne and John joining us, as they bring such a broad range of valuable experience to Humana. Wayne’s exemplary career as a leader in medical research, health care academics and business administration will clearly assist Humana in advancing its goals, especially in offering care to our under resourced populations and building deeper relationships with providers,” says Kurt J. Hilzinger, chair of Humana board, in a press release.   

“John’s deep financial background and high-level leadership experience across a range of consumer and multi-site industries provides Humana with additional expertise in strategic and financial management, especially in the expansion of our local health services strategy,” Hilzinger added.

Every week we will be posting from and about the healthcare C-Suite. Comings and goings, trends, reorganizations, news that you can use. Please send your news to Senior Editor Peter Wehrwein at pwehrwein@ajmc.com. Thank you!