AHN, Highmark Health Executives named to Modern Healthcare Magazine's "Top Women Leaders" List

PITTSBURG (PRWEB) February 24, 2022

Cynthia Hundorfean, President and CEO of Allegheny Health Network (AHN), and Deborah Rice-Johnson, CEO of Diversified Businesses and Chief Growth Officer for Highmark Health have been selected by Modern Healthcare magazine as two of the country's "Top Women Leaders."

Modern Healthcare's annual recognition program celebrates leading women healthcare executives who are shaping the nation's health policy, improving the delivery of care and -- more recently -- helping the country respond to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 honorees are featured in the February 21 print issue of the magazine and online at ModernHealthcare.com/top-women-leaders-2022.

"The 2022 Class of Top Women Leaders in Healthcare embodies the progress and influence executives make when they're not afraid to take risks, even during a global crisis," said Aurora Aguilar, editor for Modern Healthcare. "The women honored prove that strong strategies and empowering their staff to think big can bring significant results for the healthcare organizations they lead, and their patients."

Each year, Modern Healthcare identifies 25 outstanding women leaders, as well as select leaders in two additional categories -- "Women to Watch" and "Luminaries." The lists include health system leaders, government officials, trade association presidents, pharmaceutical industry executives, insurance leaders, and representatives from retail health companies.

Ms. Hundorfean was named to Modern Healthcare's "Top 25 Women Leaders" list in 2019, and in 2020, she was recognized by the magazine as one of its "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare". This year, she was named to Modern Healthcare's special list of "Luminaries," an award that honors women who have made "outstanding, sustained contributions to healthcare" and have a proven track record of improving organizations and advancing the careers of other women and minority leaders.

Among just a handful of the nation's leaders to be named luminaries by the magazine include Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO, Anthem, Judy Faulkner, President and CEO, Epic Systems Corp., and Beverly Malone, CEO, National League for Nursing.

"This is a distinguished award, meant for the very best of the best, and it's indicative of Cindy's well-earned reputation within the industry as a visionary, innovative and highly accomplished healthcare executive," said David Holmberg, president and CEO, Highmark Health. "We are extremely fortunate to have someone of her caliber leading Allegheny Health Network and all of its exceptional caregivers through such unprecedented and challenging times."

AHN, a $4 billion healthcare organization based in Pittsburgh with more than 300 clinical care sights across its footprint, is the anchor provider system of Highmark Health. Over the past two years, the network has been a leader of the western Pennsylvania and national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, from starting the region's first community and mobile testing programs, to hosting its first and largest mass vaccination clinics and vaccinating hundreds of thousands, to advancing novel treatments for the virus and helping to pioneer new personal protective equipment standards for caregivers.

Ms. Rice-Johnson was named one of Modern Healthcare's "Top 25 Women Leaders" this year. As chief growth officer, she is responsible for pursuing a range of strategic partnerships, affiliations and acquisitions that enables Highmark Health to unlock the shared value to organizations and transform healthcare. This critical role enables Highmark Health to realize the potential of a Living Health model, which creates a better system for customers and clinicians through innovative solutions and partnerships while strengthening community-based care, improving health outcomes and lowering costs for members.

Ms. Rice-Johnson has recently spearheaded successful, growth-focused initiatives including the affiliation with HealthNow in Western and Northeastern New York, expanding Highmark's footprint and adding approximately 1 million members; the full acquisition of Gateway Health, to enhance quality and outcomes for more than 350,000 Pennsylvanians dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare; and a landmark joint venture with ChristianaCare to create a technology-fueled, value-based health experience in Delaware.

As CEO of Diversified Businesses, Ms. Rice-Johnson is responsible for Highmark subsidiaries including: United Concordia Dental, the sixth largest dental plan nationally that serves the largest voluntary dental program in the world with TRICARE; HM Insurance Group, a top ten national stop loss carrier with additional managed care reinsurance solutions; and Helion, a healthcare technology and services firm that helps payers cultivate high-performing networks while empowering providers to operate at their best. By driving continued excellence and growth of Diversified Businesses across the U.S., she plays a leading role in generating the capital and scale for Highmark Health to transform health.

"National recognition like this further amplifies the role Deb plays at our organization and the legacy of leadership she has created in driving change for the benefit our members, patients and health care clinicians, as well as addressing critical business challenges in our evolving health care landscape," Holmberg added. "She is an inspiration to woman leaders inside and outside of our organization."

Modern Healthcare will honor the 2022 Top Women Leaders at an awards gala scheduled for July 14 in Chicago.

About Highmark Health:

Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA-based enterprise that employs more than 35,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and HM Health Solutions. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to more than 6 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York as well as dental insurance, and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses. HM Health Solutions is focused on meeting the information technology platform and other business needs of the Highmark Health enterprise as well as unaffiliated health insurance plans by providing proven business processes, expert knowledge, and integrated cloud-based platforms. To learn more, visit http://www.highmarkhealth.org.

About Allegheny Health Network:

Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org), is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of 14 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, Health + Wellness Pavilions, multiple employed physician organizations, home and community-based health services, a research institute, and a group purchasing organization. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, trauma care, cardiovascular disease, organ transplantation, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women's health, diabetes, autoimmune disease and more. AHN employs approximately 21,000 people, has more than 2,600 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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