Cigna Corp. has hired David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D., the nation's first national coordinator for health information technology, as executive vice president and chief health officer.
As the company’s first chief health officer, Brailer will focus on bringing together the company's products, technologies, and services in new and innovative ways to drive more value and help people improve their overall health and vitality. He will report to David M. Cordani, Cigna Chairman and CEO, 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 is founder and chairman of Health Evolution, an organization that convenes healthcare leaders. He is also vice chairman of the Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center. Brailer will continue to be actively involved with both of those organizations as part of his role at Cigna.
He has been an investor in numerous health technology and services companies through Health Evolution Partners. In 2004, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as a health policy advisor and became the nation's first national coordinator for Health IT. Prior to that, he was founder and CEO of CareScience, one of the first health data analytics companies in the internet era. He has served on the boards of directors of or as an advisor to numerous healthcare companies, including Walgreens Boots Alliance, VillageMD, Censeo Health, and Prolacta Bioscience.
"I believe that Cigna is well positioned to improve the health and well-being of the millions of customers it serves," Brailer said in a statement. "I know the company is deeply committed to being a leader in the coming era of digitally inspired consumer-driven healthcare. I look forward to working alongside David and the leadership team to advance Cigna's culture of health excellence and innovation."
