For Immediate Release
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Carecentrix Appoints Former Wellpoint Executive to Board of Directors
John S. Watts, Jr. Joins Home Health Care Benefits Management Company’s Board as Growth Continues
HARTFORD, Conn. – September 24, 2009 – CareCentrix, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of home health benefits management services, announced today that John S. Watts, Jr., a former executive with WellPoint, Inc., has joined its board of directors.
Watts has more than 25 years experience building, growing and leading large health plan organizations. He most recently served as president and CEO of the Commercial and Consumer Business for WellPoint. Prior to WellPoint, Watts was president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia.
"We are very pleased to have an executive of John's caliber join the CareCentrix board," said Steve Shulman, chairman of the board, and former chairman and CEO of Magellan Health Services and Prudential HealthCare. "His vision and intricate knowledge of the health insurance industry will complement the experience of our current board members and be a valuable asset as we expand CareCentrix’s leadership position in home health care.”
CareCentrix President and CEO Eric Reimer added, “John is highly regarded for his strong track record of building successful new ventures and achieving high growth rates for WellPoint and other health plans he has led. As demand for our services continues to increase, we are focused on identifying new ways for home health care to play a larger role in reducing health care costs and improving patient outcomes. John’s expertise will be extremely beneficial as we expand our services to provide more value to health care plans and the patients they serve.”
CareCentrix partnered with Water Street Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on health care, in 2008 to become a standalone company. Since then, it has undergone a strategic transformation to expand its core services with the goal of proactively helping health care plans and providers improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs. The company has recruited industry leaders to its management team including Eric Reimer, Chief Executive Officer; Robert Novelli, Chief Operating Officer; William Kerr. M.D., Chief Medical Officer; Robert LaGalia, Chief Growth Officer; and Alison Gilligan, General Counsel and Network Development. In less than a year, CareCentrix has increased its contracted revenues from $315 million to more than $500 million.
“CareCentrix has tremendous momentum right now,” said Watts. “Home care and transitional care services are important tools for lowering hospital readmissions, and improving the quality and affordability of health care services. I am looking forward to playing a role in this important health care sector, and being a member of the impressive team of health care executives serving on the CareCentrix board.”
About CareCentrix
Founded in 1996, CareCentrix is the nation’s leading provider of home health benefits management services to the managed care industry. The company provides health care plans and providers with a one-stop solution that coordinates care for patients in the home including skilled nursing services, durable medical equipment and home infusion drug therapies. It is in process of expanding its services with the development of a new program that will help payers and providers reduce the rising rate of hospital readmissions. CareCentrix is headquartered in East Hartford, Connecticut, and has operations in Melville, New York; Phoenix, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; and Albuquerque, New Mexico with a new regional care center scheduled to open in Overland Park, Kansas this year. For more information about CareCentrix visit www.carecentrix.com.