Cigna has tapped David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D., as the insurer’s new executive vice president and first chief health officer.
Cigna announced Tuesday that Brailer will join the company in early September. In the newly coined position of chief health officer, Brailer will be tasked with reimagining the company’s existing products, technologies and services to improve the overall health of clients, the company said in a press release.
Brailer previously served as a health policy adviser for President George W. Bush and became the nation’s first national coordinator for health information technology. He will report directly to Cigna CEO David Cordani and will serve on the company's enterprise leadership team.
"I am thrilled to have Dr. Brailer join our company at a time when advancing our strategy to make health care more affordable, predictable and simple has never been more important," Cordani said in a statement. "Our customers, patients and clients are counting on us to lead breakout change and improvement in health care. With his proven expertise in care delivery, information technology, innovation and public policy, Dr. Brailer is an invaluable addition to our team."
Brailer will bring expertise from his recent roles as founder and chairman at Health Evolution and vice chairman of the Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center. He will continue to be involved with both organizations through his role at Cigna. During his tenure at Health Evolution, Brailer was an investor in numerous health technology companies.
"I believe that Cigna is well positioned to improve the health and well-being of the millions of customers it serves," Brailer said. "I know the company is deeply committed to being a leader in the coming era of digitally inspired consumer-driven health care. I look forward to working alongside David and the leadership team to advance Cigna's culture of health excellence and innovation."
Cigna’s Evernorth subsidiary has been a bastion of technological growth for the insurer, including telehealth platform MDLive and eviCore data analytics. Late last week, the insurer announced a partnership with Bicycle Health to expand access to virtual opioid treatment.
The insurer announced Monday that, pending regulatory approval, it will be expanding the reach of the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges by entering three new states in 2023. With additional expansions in other states, the company said its markets could include 730,000 new members. The move would allow clients 24/7 access to virtual primary care via MDLive along with virtual dermatology and behavioral health.
In the first quarter of this year, Cigna claimed 190.4 million total customers. During the first half of this year, the insurer brought in $2.7 billion in profit and $89.5 billion in revenue, with a 10% increase between the first and second quarters. Last year, during the same six-month period, Cigna reported $2.6 billion in profit and $84.1 billion in revenue.