Behavioral Health’s Forge Health Marks Next Phase with Board of Directors Expansion and Advisory Board Creation
March 28 2024 - 1:25PM
Business Wire
Adds Impressive Roster of former healthcare
CEOs, CMOs, and Thought Leaders with Operational and Innovation
Expertise, including Aetna, Independence Blue Cross, Walmart
Health, VillageMD, and more
Mental health and substance use care continue to be far from
affordable or accessible for millions of people in need. However,
the gap takes a notable step toward closing today as Forge Health
announces a significant board and advisory expansion. The New
York-based provider of hybrid treatment options, serving thousands
of patients, has added three new members to its board of directors,
including a new board observer, and announced the formation of an
Advisory Board.
Appointed to the Forge Health board of directors are:
- Alisa Bahl, Ph.D. - Former Chief of Innovation & Strategy,
Magellan Healthcare
- Alan Muney, MD - Former Chief Medical Officer, Cigna
- Richard Synder, MD - EVP, Facilitated Health Networks at
Independence Blue Cross (Observer)
“The symbiotic relationship between payers and providers is an
immensely complex one, and both Alisa and Alan have showcased
immense acumen in navigating this domain throughout their
impressive, respective careers. The Forge team is honored to have
their counsel and experience infused into our growth trajectory,
and we are confident this move will pay dividends all the way
downstream to the many people we enable better care for,” said Eric
Frieman, Co-Founder and CEO of Forge Health.
Since its founding in 2016, Forge has been committed to
providing the highest-quality, affordable, accessible, and
effective “one-stop-shop” mental health and substance use care to
individuals, families, and communities in need, especially for the
moderate to severe populations. The Forge care model utilizes
multidisciplinary clinical teams, data analytics, and streamlined
care delivery to provide individualized, whole-person care that
concurrently addresses mental health and substance use issues while
driving improved health outcomes.
The Forge Health Advisory Board will leverage their vast
experience and profound understanding of the health insurance
landscape to provide insight, expertise, and thought leadership to
support Forge on strategies to expand its market-leading integrated
mental health and substance use care model as well as enhance its
partnerships with primary care physicians, specialty medical
groups, health systems, and payers. The Advisory Board will be
chaired by Alisa Bahl, Ph.D., and will include the following
members:
- Allen Karp – Former EVP of Healthcare Management &
Transformation at Horizon BCBSNJ
- Brian Shipp – Former President, Commercial Local Business at
Anthem
- Brent Asplin, MD – Former COO of VillageMD, Co-Founder &
CEO of Gather Health
- Kevin Klobucar – Former EVP, HealthCare Value & CEO of Blue
Care Network at BCBS Michigan
- Marcus Osborne – Former SVP, Walmart Health
- Paul McBride – Former Senior Executive of Top US Health Plans,
CEO of Globally Capitated Medical Group
- Seth Feuerstein, JD, MD – Executive Director & Founder,
Center for Digital Health & Innovation, Yale University School
of Medicine
- Steve Hamman – Former President, BCBS Illinois
- Simeon Schindelman – Former CEO of Brighton Health Plan
Solutions & Bright HealthCare
Frieman continued, “Building this bespoke roster of brilliant
minds and passionate mental health advocates was a real honor and
we are thrilled to have their perspectives alongside our
mission-driven efforts and further scaling an affordable and
effective technology-enabled model.” The newly established Advisory
Board will be instrumental in developing innovative and
customer-centric approaches to enhance Forge Health’s
offerings.
Forge Health has a well-established track record of partnering
with payers, primary care physicians, specialty medical groups, and
health systems to provide integrated mental health and substance
use care that transforms the patient journey and vastly improves
patient outcomes and experience. These partnerships include
streamlined referral management, information exchange, and care
coordination, and in certain circumstances, include physical
co-location to improve diagnosis, collaborative treatment, and
timely access to care.
About Forge Health Forge
Health is a mission-driven company dedicated to delivering the
highest quality, affordable, accessible, and effective
“one-stop-shop” mental health and substance use care to
individuals, families, and communities in need. The Forge care
model utilizes multidisciplinary clinical teams, data analytics,
and streamlined care delivery to provide individualized,
whole-person care that concurrently addresses mental health and
substance use issues while driving improved health outcomes. As the
first and only behavioral healthcare provider with a proven,
national payor-validated ability to drive clinical outcomes that
span all areas of health, Forge Health is leading the charge in
driving innovation, improving care delivery, and shaping the future
of behavioral healthcare.
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Media Erik Milster SeriesM
PR emilster@seriesmpr.com