ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Surround Care, a leading healthcare transformation company, today announced Craig E. Samitt, MD, MBA, has joined the company leading its National Physician Enterprise. Dr. Samitt will serve as the chief executive officer of the National Physician Enterprise business unit and executive vice president at Navvis, a Surround Care company. Building off of the recent announcement of Esse Health becoming a Surround Care company, Dr. Samitt will lead the company’s national footprint expansion of physician enterprises, through partnerships, joint ventures, and acquisitions, allowing physician groups to thrive on their journey to delivering transformative care. He will also support the Navvis growth and expansion of strategic partnerships with health plans and health systems.
Dr. Samitt has nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare leadership and transformation, most recently serving as president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBSMN). Dr. Samitt transformed the organization’s strategy, operational performance, and culture, with a goal aimed at reinventing U.S. healthcare. His work focused on forging groundbreaking, value-based partnerships with health systems and independent physician practices, providing population health resources and capabilities.
Prior to BCBSMN, Dr. Samitt served as vice president and chief clinical officer of Anthem, where he was responsible for leading overall clinical vision and strategy and advancing Anthem’s portfolio of provider partnerships and payment innovation models. Dr. Samitt was also president and chief executive officer of Dean Health System, one of the largest integrated health systems in the Midwest, and held senior leadership roles at Fallon Clinic (now Reliant Medical Group), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Harvard Community Health Plan (now Atrius Health). Previously, Dr. Samitt served as a Commissioner on MedPAC and was named one of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders” by Modern Healthcare.
“Our industry is under enormous pressure from many directions. Through our ever-expanding footprint of market partnerships with health systems, physician enterprises, and health plans, we are helping transform healthcare by creating high-performing, high-quality, and sustainable systems of care. At the center of this transformation, these same healthcare organizations must work together differently to fundamentally change how care is delivered, experienced, and funded,” said Mike Farris, chairman and chief executive officer of Surround Care, the parent company to Navvis and Esse Health. “Dr. Samitt is exactly the leader we need for this moment in healthcare. He is one of the country’s most recognized and accomplished healthcare leaders, with a distinguished career and a lifetime commitment to making healthcare work better for all. With Dr. Samitt’s leadership and expertise, coupled with our unique market partnerships and operational model, we will bring even more opportunities to physicians and physician enterprises nationwide.”
“We need more game-changing approaches to healthcare if we’re going to drive systemic and sustained progress,” said Dr. Samitt. “Over the recent decade, we’ve made only modest progress in a transition to value, and health systems and physician enterprises have struggled to shift their businesses to a more contemporary care delivery model. Moving from incrementalism to transformation, from hype to substance, and from fragmentation to partnership will require vision, leadership, and a new way of working to enable industry change. I’ve found all of that in Surround Care and its Navvis subsidiary, and I’m excited to be joining a unique organization that I believe has true potential to dramatically change healthcare for the better.”
For more information on Dr. Samitt’s expertise, read his complete bio here.
About Surround Care
Surround Care is a healthcare transformation company, improving healthcare for millions of people and thousands of physicians. The organization is transforming care delivery and delivering transformative care with resources, services, and operational management to allow healthcare organizations to thrive and better serve their communities. Surround Care serves health systems, physician enterprises, and health plans, operates in nine markets across the country, and supports more than 4,600 affiliated physicians and more than 4 million managed lives.
About Navvis
Navvis is a leading population health company, driving performance in value-based care. As an operating partner to some of the country’s most innovative health systems, physician enterprises, and health plans, we provide solutions that accelerate the journey to value-based care. Our approach is market-based – we respect the unique needs of populations in each community, including access to care, culture, values, and capabilities. Together with our partners, we set a new national standard in healthcare performance that delivers the affordability, quality, access, and experience that all patients deserve.
