Rakesh "Roki" Chauhan, Md, Is Promoted To Senior Vice President And Chief Medical Officer At Premera Blue Cross

February 5, 2009

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE – Premera Blue Cross has promoted Rakesh "Roki" Chauhan, MD, to Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

In his new capacity, Dr. Chauhan is responsible for leadership, strategic planning and implementation of Premera's Care Facilitation programs.

Care Facilitation fosters collaborative relationships with physicians, offers consulting with employers and provides valuable healthcare information to Premera members.  Programs include Care Management, Pharmacy and Clinical Quality.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the American College of Physician Executives, Dr. Chauhan attended medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.  He completed his residency and fellowship in family practice at the University of California, San Francisco at Santa Rosa, Calif.

Dr. Chauhan is a board-certified family physician with 19 years of clinical practice experience both in private practice and a multi-specialty clinic setting.  He completed a Fellowship in Managed Care with America's Health Insurance Plans, and previously served as Assistant Clinical Professor in Family & Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Chauhan succeeds John Castiglia, MD, as Premera Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer following Dr. Castiglia's retirement.

About Premera Blue Cross
Our mission is to provide peace of mind to our members about their health-care coverage.  We provide health care coverage and related services to more than 1.3 million people.  Premera Blue Cross has operated in Washington since 1933, and Alaska since 1952.  Premera Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Premera Blue Cross is a member of a family of companies based in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, that provide health, life, vision, dental, and long-term care insurance, and other related services.  In the J. D. Power 2007 National Health Insurance Plan Satisfaction Study, Premera Blue Cross ranked highest in member satisfaction among health plans (regional and national companies) serving the western U.S.  2007 was the first time J. D. Power surveyed consumers about health plans.