Buettner Named Oklahoma Health Care Authority Chief of Staff

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Aug. 15 -- The Oklahoma Health Care Authority issued the following news release:

Oklahoma Health Care Authority CEO Kevin Corbett has named Ellen Buettner chief of staff. Buettner most recently served as chief of legislative affairs for the Oklahoma Office of Attorney General. Prior to her service at the OAG, Buettner spent 10 years at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services serving in a variety of roles, including assistant general counsel, director of human resources, and senior director of governmental relations and public accountability.

"My career has been spent almost exclusively in the public sector health and human services field," Buettner said. "I feel fortunate to join the team of talented and dedicated individuals at OHCA who facilitate access to quality health care services for our fellow Oklahomans. This is meaningful work and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve our state."

Buettner, a licensed attorney, earned a bachelor's degree in sociology, a master's degree in administrative leadership and a Juris Doctorate, all from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the OU Department of Communication where her research focuses primarily on organizational communication, culture and ethics.

As chief of staff, Buettner will provide oversight to multiple administrative functions of the agency and strategic counsel about agency priorities with an emphasis on accountability and transparency. She will work with Corbett and the executive leadership team to guide successful outcomes and strengthen relationships with members, providers and stakeholders to promote access to quality care and improvement in health outcomes.

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About the Oklahoma Health Care Authority

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) administers two health programs for the state. The first is SoonerCare, Oklahoma's Medicaid program. SoonerCare works to improve the health of qualified Oklahomans by ensuring that medically necessary benefits and services are available. Qualifying Oklahomans include certain low-income children, seniors, the disabled, those being treated for breast or cervical cancer and those seeking family planning services. The second program OHCA operates is Insure Oklahoma, which assists qualifying adults and small business employees in obtaining health care coverage for themselves and their families. Currently, there are 805,273 Oklahomans enrolled in OHCA's programs. The agency contracts with a network of 52,414 providers. For more information, visit www.okhca.org or www.insureoklahoma.org