Health insurer Centene promoted Susan Smith to the new position of chief operating officer, leading the company’s “core business operations, population health, the enterprise transformation office, provider experience and quality.”
Centene, which is a major provider of government-subsidized health benefits for more than 28 million people, has Smith, who is 48 years old, will report to Centene President Ken Fasola, the company said Wednesday. Smith has worked at Centene since June of this year.
Smith’s appointment comes at a critical time for Centene, which has a large business administering Medicaid benefits for poor Americans via contracts with states.
The U.S. public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic kept record numbers of people covered by not kicking anyone off Medicaid while Congress and the Biden administration increased and expanded subsidies so more Americans could afford individual Obamacare coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Centene’s Medicaid business grew during the pandemic.
But things are changing somewhat this year given the end in May of the U.S. public health emergency that boosted the number of Americans covered when Medicaid redetermination temporarily ended with the start of the public health emergency. Medicaid redetermination, also described as Medicaid renewal or Medicaid recertification, is essentially when people are asked to show they are qualified for such coverage.
“Ms. Smith brings nearly two decades of expertise in the payer space, having spent 19 years at Humana,” Centene said in a statement. “She most recently served as SVP of Clinical, Quality and Enterprise Solutions President, where she had oversight of quality; clinical strategy, analytics and product development; clinical operations; risk adjustment; and experience transformation.”
Smith is the latest major executive promotion or hire under Sarah London, who became Centene’s chief executive officer in March of 2022.
“Susan is a seasoned operator who brings extensive experience in the government-sponsored payer space,” London said. “Her operational expertise in quality and customer experience, proven track record and leadership during transformational times – coupled with her steadfast commitment to the members and communities we support – make her the right candidate for this role.”
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