CareFirst Names Former CMS Director Rahul Rajkumar As New Chief Medical Officer

Baltimore, MD (August 16, 2016) - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) has named Dr. Rahul Rajkumar, previously Deputy Director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as its new Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Rajkumar joined CareFirst in July and will help oversee operation of the company’s Patient-Centered Medical Home and Total Care and Cost Improvement programs designed to improve care coordination while lowering health care costs. As a part of CareFirst’s Medical Affairs division, Dr. Rajkumar also will have a role in developing medical policy for the region’s largest health insurer.

Dr. Rajkumar joined CMS in 2012, and as Deputy Director of the CMMI oversaw day-to-day policy development and operations. As a member of that organization’s leadership team, he played a critical role in managing the design and launch of many of CMMI’s models, including new payment models focused on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), primary care development, and bundled payments for hospital and post-acute services. He was also integral to the creation of Maryland’s new All-Payer Waiver, currently in its third year.

Prior to joining CMS, Dr. Rajkumar was a consultant at McKinsey and Co.

“Rahul’s background and experience make him uniquely qualified to serve as Chief Medical Officer and guide our medical policy at CareFirst,” said Jon Blum, CareFirst Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs. “I am confident he will bring insight and expertise to our company’s most important initiatives.”

Dr. Rajkumar practiced medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he completed his residency training in Internal Medicine. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Yale University, a doctorate degree of medicine (MD) from Yale University’s School Of Medicine, and a doctorate degree of law (J.D.) from Yale’s School Of Law. He also is as an attending physician at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Washington, D.C.

About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

In its 78th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.4 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2015, CareFirst contributed nearly $40 million to improve overall health, and increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram or Google+.