Blue Cross Hires Dr. Stephanie Mills as Chief Medical Officer

BATON ROUGE – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana announced that Dr. Stephanie Mills, a pediatric emergency medicine physician who has held numerous healthcare leadership roles, will be appointed as the insurer’s executive vice president of health services and chief medical officer.

Mills will report to Blue Cross President and CEO Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi. Mills will oversee staff, programs and services within the Blue Cross Health Services division, which includes medical management, population health, medical policy, quality management, provider networks and value-based reimbursement, pharmacy management and care delivery.

Mills, a Louisiana native, was most recently president of inHealth Strategies. She helped lead the creation and launch of this Innovation Institute company, which guides healthcare providers, payers, employers and other health system stakeholders in successfully implementing value-based care programs through population health strategies, analytics applications, wellness program development and other services.

Mills drew on her prior experience as president and CEO of Franciscan Health and Wellness Services, an arm of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, to develop inHealth. Mills served in various roles within the FMOL system from 2004 through 2017.

“Dr. Mills’ experience, passion and dedication to healthcare in Louisiana will allow her to immediately make a transformative impact at Blue Cross as we continue to focus on our mission of improving the health and lives all of Louisianians,” said Udvarhelyi.

Before moving into healthcare executive roles, Mills practiced pediatric emergency medicine, including serving as the medical director for the pediatric ER at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

“Blue Cross is in a unique position to impact health for all Louisianians,” said Mills. “I’m excited to join the talented clinical team and help drive positive change in my home state.”

Mills earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University and earned her Doctor of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She also holds a Master of Science degree in healthcare management from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.