Chutes & Ladders—Carelon Health taps new president; AAMC announces new board of directors

Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please submit the good news—or the bad—from your shop, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.


Anna Lee Amarnath
(Anna Lee Amarnath (Noridian))

Medicare Administrative Contractor Noridian, which processes Medicare Parts A and B claims for the West, Southwest and Hawaii, has hired Anna Lee Amarnath as a Contractor Medical Director. Amarnath with work with Noridian’s 17 other CMDs to review local coverage determinations and develop reimbursement policies.

“I am honored to support Medicare beneficiaries and the providers who care for them by joining the talented Noridian team,” Amarnath said in a statement. “I look forward to using my experience to advise and implement medical policies that will enable equitable, high-quality and affordable care for CMS and the millions of people who rely on Medicare.”

Amarnath moves from nonprofit Integrated Health Solutions, where she was manager of one of the nation’s largest performance measurement programs.

Before IHA, Amarnath worked for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), as a medical program consultant and chief of managed care quality and oversight.


Byrony Winn
(Byrony Winn (LinkedIn))

Carelon Health, a payer-agnostic subsidiary of Elevance Health (Anthem), brought on Bryony Winn as its next President. Winn was formerly the President of Health Solutions at Elevance.

“Making whole health possible has long been my professional passion and I can think of no better place to drive meaningful, measurable impact for individuals and communities than this,” Winn wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Carelon is a portfolio company with business offerings spanning pharmacy, behavioral health, care delivery, medical benefits management, payment integrity, advocacy, research, digital platforms, and operations and technology services. According to Winn’s LinkedIn post, Carelon serves 1 in 3 Americans.

 


The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has announced its new board for 2024-25, whose term starts in November. The 19-member board is comprised of academic medical center leaders from across the country, a medical student, a resident and a junior faculty member.

Julie Freischlag
(Julie Freischlag (AAMC))

Julie A. Freischlag, M.D., chief academic officer and executive vice president of Advocate Health, chief academic officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and executive vice president for health affairs of Wake Forest University, has been elected to serve as chair of the AAMC Board of Directors. 

The board loses:

  • immediate past president LouAnn Woodward, M.D., University of Mississippi Medical Center
  • Henri R. Ford, M.D., University of Miami
  • Danny Jacobs, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University
  • Adam C. Thompson-Harvey, M.D., University of Virginia

It adds:

  • Allison Brashear, M.D., University at Buffalo
  • Edward Jimenez, University Hospital
  • Michael L. Good, M.D., University of Utah
  • Johnothan Smileye, Jr., M.D., University of Pennsylvania

The full list of appointments to the board can be found here.


> knownwell, a weight-inclusive primary care and metabolic health company, announced the appointment of the first C-suite hires since the company was founded in 2022: Chief Operating Officer James Chaukos and Chief Growth Officer John Frager.

> Tulsa, Oklahoma mayor G.T. Bynum has been hired by one of the city’s major health systems, Saint Francis Health System. Bynum has been mayor of Tulsa since 2016 and is not seeking reelection in August. He will lead community and government affairs at Saint Francis as vice president.

> Healthcare staffing solutions company SnapCare named Firasat Hussain as its Chief Technology Officer.

> Gravie tapped David Matthew Millar as its new head of individual health coverage HRA (ICHRA) product. Gravie provides health plan benefits to employers.

> Troy Wasilefsky has been named Chief Revenue Officer of Greenway Health, a health information technology services provider. Wasilefsky will lead sales and marketing for Greenway, a press release says.

> LCMC Health has announced the appointment of Dawn Zell Wright as its new Chief Human Resources Officer.

> Advocate Health's chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Cristy Garcia-Thomas, is stepping down from her role at the end of August. Advocate’s chief nursing officer, Mary Beth Kingston, is retiring in December.

> Boston Medical Center has named Susie Posner-Jones as its vice president and chief development officer. Posner-Jones will lead donor engagement.

> Solomon Partners, a financial advisory firm, has hired Whit Knier as a Partner in its healthcare group.

> Amwell announced Ricky Goldwasser to the company's Board of Directors, effective June 13.

> Dean Stephens has joined Trualta’s board of directors. The Trualta platform provides education and certification for caregivers.