Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi will take over as president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana in the first quarter of next year, succeeding Mike Reitz, who in February announced his plan to retire in June 2016.
Udvarhelyi currently serves as executive vice president of health services and chief strategy officer at Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia. Udvarhelyi has been with Independence since 1996, and in his time there he has also served as senior vice president and chief medical officer.
A board-certified internist, Udvarhelyi has nearly 25 years of experience in the managed care industry, including roles with the Prudential Insurance Company of America in its corporate offices in New Jersey, and in its southeast regional office, running the Prudential health plans in Florida. Before his career in the health insurance industry, he was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, and he has published numerous articles on quality in health care.
“I look forward to bringing my leadership, knowledge of the health care industry, and strategic perspective to bear on the complex issues we face in this challenging time in health care, and to help continue the tradition of success of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana,” he says in a prepared statement. “My family and I also look forward to enjoying south Louisiana’s well-known hospitality, food and culture.”
Reitz says he knows Blue Cross will be in good hands under the leadership of Udvarhelyi.
“This makes my departure seem a little more concrete, and I know I’m going to miss that day-to-day engagement with the industry and the people here,” he says in a state. “I have served Blue Cross for more than 40 years, and during that time, I’ve formed a personal bond with the people in this state I call home.”
