Healthcare consultant opens B.R. office

The Health & Wellness Institute, a Blue Cross spin-off that works as a consultant with companies and healthcare plans, has opened an office in Baton Rouge. HWI is temporarily staffing the office with two workers from its Rhode Island location, but plans to recruit locally and hire two full-time employees in the next few months. Jason Alberti, a spokesman for HWI, says the company chose to put its third location in Baton Rouge because it works with a number of Blue Cross plans in the South. “This is a good, good area for us,” he says. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Louisiana’s Baton Rouge campus was also a factor. “We see a good opportunity to work with them,” Alberti says. HWI works with companies, such as CVS Pharmacy, to help with health management and employee wellness.—Timothy Boone