‘Ohana Health Plan, an insurance company in Honolulu that serves more than 56,000 people in Hawaii, has named Ed Fess medical director. ‘Ohana is a subsidiary of Tampa, Fla.-based WellCare Health Plans, which provides managed care services for government-sponsored healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare.
Fess will oversee medical management, quality initiatives and pharmacy utilization while organizing local initiatives meant to improve member care at ‘Ohana, which has more than 220 employees, the company said in a statement.
Fess has more than 25 years of experience within health plan operations, 10 of them taking place in Hawaii. Prior to joining ‘Ohana, Fess was president and co-founder of Pacific Healthcare Consultants, also based in Hawaii.
"[Fess’] success in improving member outcomes within a variety of health care delivery systems will support continuous efforts to improve access and quality of care to help our members live better, healthier lives,” said Dave Reynolds, WellCare's senior vice president and division president for Hawaii and six other markets, in a statement.
Senior Writer
As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.