Rich Cullen is vice president of inter-plan solutions at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies. 

Since joining BCBSA in 1997, Cullen has focused on developing and implementing business strategies, programs and initiatives to support inter-Plan delivery of BCBS companies’ products and services in all market segments, including national account, individual and government markets.  

Among the critical initiatives Cullen drives on behalf of the BCBS System are efforts to transition care delivery to become more patient-focused and effectively leverage BCBS data to bring new insights to healthcare. He leads program and product development, network operations and implementation strategies to enhance National Programs, such as the BlueCard program that serves national employers with employees in multiple locations. In addition, Cullen leads the ongoing administration of vendor selection and contract negotiation, policy development, compliance monitoring and financial and administrative performance programs. He also oversees consumer engagement initiatives, including development of cost transparency solutions and managing the National Doctor and Hospital Finder.  

Cullen has broad-based industry leadership responsibilities for health information technology, payer-provider collaborations, regulatory activities and standards development organizations, such as Health Level Seven (HL7) and the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH). He serves on the Executive Steering Committee of the Office of the National Coordinator’s FHIR at Scale Task Force and is BCBSA’s representative on the CARIN Alliance. 

Cullen earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics with a minor in political science from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Ill.