FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2010
Network Health Appoints Vice President of Finance
(Medford, Mass.) — Network Health announced today the appointment of Doug Thompson as vice president of finance. Thompson, who previously served as interim vice president of finance for Network Health, will continue to oversee Network Health’s financial and accounting administration, including premium rate setting, recoveries and expenses, and payment protocol; lead its budget development and oversight; enhance purchasing strategies and expense management; and ensure compliance with state and federal regulatory agencies’ financial requirements.
“Doug is a great addition to our Network Health team,” said Christina Severin, president of Network Health. “Doug’s intricate financial knowledge of Massachusetts’ complex Medicaid system and our historic health care reform, paired with his experience managing and reducing operating costs while maintaining high-quality services, will help fulfill Network Health’s mission to provide high-quality health care to underserved Massachusetts residents.”
Prior to joining Network Health, Thompson served as chief financial officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Office of Medicaid, where he managed the state’s MassHealth (Medicaid) finance function. In this role, while facing severe financial pressures, Thompson developed and oversaw a $9 billion budget in accordance with the state’s strategic objectives, drove cost control to a historically low 0% increase without reducing eligibility or services, and successfully negotiated MCO contracts at 0% growth while including new, efficiency adjustments that reduced unnecessary inpatient and emergency department utilization.
Thompson also developed a MassHealth Purchasing Strategy Unit that provided cost-control and quality-improvement direction to the Medicaid Director and Secretary of Health and Human Services; championed an effort to develop medical homes across the state’s Primary Care Clinician (PCC) Plan and multiple payors; and built an expansive pay-for-performance program into hospital, provider, nursing home, and managed care organization (MCO) budgets.
Additionally, Thompson played a critical role in negotiating an extension to the MassHealth Health Care Reform Waiver that will generate $2 billion in additional state revenue over the next three years, and in developing a new Federal Finance Unit, which led financial components of the Health Care Reform Waiver renewal.
Prior to working for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Thompson was founder and managing director of Public and Private Solutions Group, LLC, where he consulted to nonprofit and government agencies to help them achieve their objectives through strategic and financial services, and developed PPSG Expense Savings System™, a proprietary expense-management system that analyzes organizational expenditures, targets cost-savings opportunities, and executes approved strategies to see monetary results.
Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophical and Sociological Thought in Medicine from Boston University and a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
About Network Health
Since 1997, Network Health has provided access to high-quality health care to low- and moderate-income residents of Massachusetts. Based in Medford, Mass., Network Health is a comprehensive health plan serving members through its Network Health Together™ (MassHealth) and Network Health Forward™ (Commonwealth Care) plans.
Network Health provides its Network Health Together members with all the benefits of MassHealth, plus additional free and discounted benefits. Network Health’s Commonwealth Care plan extends access to affordable health care for qualified Massachusetts residents 19 years or older who earn at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or up to approximately $32,496 a year for an individual (up to approximately $66,156 a year for a family of four). In addition to core health care benefits, Network Health offers its Network Health Forward members extra benefits designed to encourage wellness.
Network Health is nationally recognized for its integrated model of care, which provides a team of in-house medical, mental health, social service, and pharmacy professionals to coordinate the care of members with complex health needs and address their nonmedical barriers to care. In its efforts to improve the health and well-being of its members and their diverse communities, Network Health partners with a growing network of nearly 18,000 primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, and community organizations to serve members in more than 300 cities and towns across Massachusetts.
Individuals must be eligible for MassHealth to join Network Health Together, a MassHealth plan. To learn about MassHealth eligibility, Massachusetts residents can contact the MassHealth Enrollment Center at 888-665-9993 (TTY: 888-665-9997), Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once enrolled, MassHealth members can learn about their MassHealth health plan options by calling the MassHealth Customer Service Center at 800-841-2900 (TTY: 800-497-4648), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To learn about Commonwealth Care health plan options, call the Commonwealth Care Customer Service Center at 877-MA-ENROLL or 877-623-6765 (TTY: 877-623-7773), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or visit www.mahealthconnector.org.
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