Highmark Health executive vice president Tony G. Farah, M.D., named among Modern Healthcare magazine's 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives

PITTSBURGH, June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Tony G. Farah, M.D., executive vice president, and chief medical and clinical transformation officer for Highmark Health, has been selected by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the country's 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives. Profiles of each honoree are featured in the June 17, 2019 print edition of the magazine and online.

The award program honors clinical executives who meet judging criteria and are selected through reader balloting and input from Modern Healthcare's senior editors. Honorees must have helped their organizations to achieve or exceed financial, operational and clinical goals; taken steps to establish or contribute to a culture of innovation and transformation; and addressed the Triple Aim of improved community health, a better patient experience and lower costs.

A renowned cardiologist in addition to serving on Highmark Health's leadership team, Dr. Farah is spearheading a value-based clinical transformation initiative for Highmark Health, which is the second largest integrated delivery and financing system in the U.S. and a diversified national health and wellness organization that includes the 4.5 million-member Highmark Health Plan and the 8-hospital, 2,300-physician Allegheny Health Network (AHN). The health plan is a Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware, and AHN's service area spans western Pennsylvania and portions of New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

Under Farah's leadership, Highmark Health's early-stage clinical transformation endeavor has successfully served more than 16,000 patients and yielded more than $26 million in savings by optimizing members' and patients' health at every stage of the clinical care journey. The initiative has resulted in a reduction of unnecessary clinical variation in care, avoidance of health complications and adoption of healthier lifestyle choices. Among its specific initiatives are an integrated, nurse-led care model for patients with complex health conditions and a care model redesign program built on population health analytics and evidence-based pathways for a range of chronic and episodic conditions. Highmark Health continues to add and scale programs to additional populations and geographies.

"By putting former frontline clinicians in charge of leading the transformation in healthcare, organizations have leveraged their greatest assets," said Aurora Aguilar, editor of Modern Healthcare. "Throughout the country are examples of former and practicing physicians and nurses leading healthcare organizations toward greater quality of care, patient satisfaction and improved margins."

As an honoree among Modern Healthcare's 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives, Dr. Farah joins prominent leaders from across the health care industry including fellow physicians, health system and insurance industry executives, research institute leaders, and community and government officials.

"A true visionary, Tony Farah is skillfully guiding the strategic and operational steps toward clinical transformation at Highmark Health, leveraging the unique opportunities of our integrated payer-provider model," said David Holmberg, president and CEO of Highmark Health. "He and his outstanding team are demonstrating that fervently prioritizing health can solve many of the industry's related challenges. His leadership will continue to be instrumental as we deliver on our mission to create a remarkable health experience, freeing people to be their best."

Learn more about Dr. Tony Farah through a recent Highmark Health blog.

About Highmark Health
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA-based enterprise that employs more than 43,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the second largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation based on revenue. Highmark Health 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 4.5 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware as well as dental insurance, vision care, and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses that include United Concordia Companies, HM Insurance Group, and Visionworks. Allegheny Health Network is the parent company of an integrated delivery network that includes eight hospitals, more than 2,300 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions in western Pennsylvania. HM Health Solutions focuses 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.

SOURCE Highmark Health