– CONWAY: “I AM COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE ACCESS TO THE BEST POSSIBLE HEALTH CARE AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICE, WITH BEST-IN-CLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE.” –

– CONWAY HAS BEEN SERVING AS PRESIDENT AND CEO-ELECT OF BLUE CROSS NC SINCE OCTOBER, IS NOW STARTING AS PRESIDENT AND CEO –

– CONWAY TAKES OVER FOR BRAD WILSON WHO HAS WORKED AT BLUE CROSS NC FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES –

Durham, NC –Patrick Conway, M.D. was formally named President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) today, December 5th. Conway has been serving as President and CEO-Elect of Blue Cross NC since October 2nd and will now officially head the company as President and CEO. Conway is taking over for Brad Wilson who retired after serving seven years as President and CEO and working with Blue Cross NC for more than two decades. Wilson, who now moves to CEO emeritus, positioned the company as a national leader in health care innovation and began North Carolina’s transition to value-based care. Conway was elected to lead the company by the Blue Cross NC Board of Trustees in August 2017.

 

“I want our customers to know is that I am completely committed to making sure they have access to the best possible health care at the lowest possible price, with best in-class customer service.” said Conway. “I look forward to leading this great company and making it a model for other health insurers across our country.”  

 

Conway comes to Blue Cross NC from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where he served as Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality, and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). He was the most senior, non-political executive at CMS, has worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations, and is widely respected by leaders on both sides of the political aisle.

 

“Dr. Conway understands the challenges families go through when trying to find high-quality health care while dealing with rising costs,” said Wilson. “That’s because he’s not only led the world’s largest health care payer in CMS, but he also cares personally for patients as a pediatrician. Our company and our customers are in great hands. I cannot think of anyone better suited to lead Blue Cross NC.” 

 

Conway is one of the driving forces behind the national movement toward value-based care, with health care payments tied to quality and innovation. He has collaborated with many of the largest health systems in the country, including several in North Carolina, to make health care more effective and affordable.

He recently won an Innovator in Health Award from the Network for Excellence in Heath Innovation for “his distinguished service to all Americans under three different U.S. administrations, and particularly for his leadership in transforming health care payment and delivery.”

 

Conway joined CMS in 2011 as the agency’s Chief Medical Officer. A respected leader, innovator and clinician, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2014. Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.

 

He is a practicing pediatric hospitalist and was selected as a Master of Hospital Medicine from the Society of Hospital Medicine. He has received the Presidential Rank Award, Distinguished Executive, and the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service. These are the President’s and Secretary’s highest distinctions for senior executive excellence. He is a former White House Fellow and Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.

 

Prior to joining CMS, Conway oversaw clinical operations, quality improvement, and research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as Director of Hospital Medicine, with a focus on improving patient outcomes across the entire multi-billion dollar health system. He also served at McKinsey & Company as a private sector consultant for health care clients early in his career.

 

Over his career, Conway has published more than 90 articles in journals such as JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs and Pediatrics.

 

Conway and his wife Heather have four children between the ages of 2 and 9. He completed pediatrics residency at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital Boston, graduated with High Honors from Baylor College of Medicine, and graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University. He grew up in College Station, Texas.

 

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities by providing innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.89 million members, including approximately 1 million served on behalf of other Blue Plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. We have been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute multiple times since 2012. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at bcbsnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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