Gateway Health Plan, Inc. today appointed Ellen Duffield as President and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Duffield most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Gateway Health. She succeeds Cain Hayes, who left the organization in June to become President and Chief Executive Officer at Point32Health.
Gateway Health is a leading mission-driven managed care organization dedicated to caring for the total health of its more than 360,000 members. Through its leading Medicaid and Medicare programs – and in collaboration with a network of 30,000 primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, and other ancillary providers – Gateway Health coordinates health care that goes beyond doctors and medicine that helps members achieve whole person care.
“I’m honored to lead Gateway Health and its dedicated associates, and thank the Board for the opportunity,” Duffield said. “This is an exciting time for the organization as we position ourselves for growth, capitalizing on the opportunities we have to connect more people to the type of care they need to live healthier lives and achieve not just physical health, but whole life health.”
In her role as Senior Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer, Duffield has provided operational oversight and strategic direction for the organization. For example, she recently led an enterprise-wide technology transformation to help Gateway Health scale up for growth. Prior to joining Gateway Health in 2019, Duffield served as President, DST Health Solutions. She served in the same capacity at Visiant Health Solutions, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, before moving to DST.
“Ellen Duffield is an accomplished, visionary health care leader with broad experience and demonstrated success in mission critical areas such as operations, technology solutions, compliance, and business development, combined with intimate knowledge of Gateway Health,” said Karen Hanlon, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Highmark Health. “Over the past few months, the Board conducted an extensive search for a CEO candidate with the expertise and ability to effectively capitalize on the opportunities in the markets we serve. We found that candidate in Ellen.”
Hanlon has been serving as Gateway Health interim CEO since Hayes’ departure. Earlier this year, Highmark Health acquired full ownership of Gateway Health, after previously holding a 50-percent ownership interest. Gateway Health was created in 1992 through a partnership between Highmark Health and Mercy Health.
Highmark Health acquiring sole ownership paved the way for Gateway Health to become a Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee. In September, Gateway Health announced plans to launch Highmark Wholecare Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Medicaid and Medicare Dual Special Needs (D-SNP) health plans across Pennsylvania. The plans will be available beginning Jan. 1, 2022. Highmark Wholecare plans recently earned a 4.5-star quality rating (out of five stars) for contract year 2022 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“We are excited about the initial reaction in the marketplace to the Highmark Wholecare plans,” Duffield said. “We see great opportunity to capitalize on the industry-leading Highmark and Blue Cross Blue Shield brands and we are making the proper level of investment to fully realize the potential of this move.”
