Joseph R. Swedish

Joe Swedish
Born Joseph R. Swedish
Alma mater
Occupation CEO of Anthem, Inc.

Joseph R. Swedish, also known as Joe Swedish, is an American health care executive, and former hospital executive. Swedish is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc., the second-largest health insurer in the United States.[1][2] Formerly, Swedish was the CEO of Trinity Health, Corp. from December 2004 until his resignation in February 2013 when he was named the CEO of Anthem.[2]

Early life and education

Swedish is the son of Eastern European (not Swedish) immigrants that moved to the United States in the late 1940s.[3] Swedish attended elementary school at a local orphanage while growing up on his parents' farm in Virginia.[3]

Swedish received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1973.[4][5] Later, he attended Duke University and received a master's degree in health administration in 1979.[4][5][6]

Career

Throughout his career, Joe Swedish has had approximately 40 years of experience as a high level hospital executive.[7] From 1994 until 1998, Swedish was the president of the East Florida and Central Florida Divisions for the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).[8] In the fall of 1997, Swedish was appointed to CEO of both the East Florida and Central Florida divisions until he resigned in 1999.[9] Following his time with the HCA, Swedish was the president and CEO of Centura Health Inc., the largest hospital system in Colorado, from 1999 to 2005.[6][10]

In December 2004, Swedish was named the CEO of Trinity Health, Corp., a hospital system based in Michigan consisting of 47 hospital in ten states.[11] Swedish officially resigned from his position at Centura and began working with Trinity in January 2005.[10] Trinity Health is a nonprofit, Catholic-owned health system and the fourth-largest Catholic hospital system in the U.S.[12] At Trinity, Swedish implemented changes to the company's health care delivery system by changing clinical and business processes and integrating IT platforms.[8] In 2011, Swedish orchestrated the acquisition of the Loyola University Health System in Chicago, along with a merger with Catholic Health East.[8]

Along with his hospital executive positions, Swedish has also been serving as a member of several boards of directors for associations such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the National Institute for Health Care Management.[13]

Anthem, Inc. In February 2013, Swedish was named Chief Executive Officer of Anthem Inc., one of the largest health insurers in the United States.[1] Naming Swedish CEO came as a surprise to many industry veterans and regulators, including WellPoint investors, due to having little experience in the insurance industry.[1][14] Swedish succeeds former CEO Angela Braly,[1] and joined WellPoint during the time when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) had already begun to change the organization of the health care industry.[11] Using Swedish's background in hospital administration to assist in creating close ties with health care providers along with his past methods of organization during times of restructuring and transformation were the primary reasons the board of directors at WellPoint cite as to why they chose him to lead the organization.[1][11][14]

Personal life

Swedish is married to Gene Swedish.[4] Together they have three adult children, 2 sons, Ian Swedish and Evan Swedish, and a daughter, Erin Swedish.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Reed Abelson (12 February 2013). "Big Insurer Hires a Hospital Executive as Chief". New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 Armstrong, Drew; Nussbaum, Alex (13 February 2013). "WellPoint Names Swedish From Trinity Health as New CEO". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Biographical Information on Joseph Swedish". Wichita Eagle. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Diversity Leadership: Joseph R. Swedish, WellPoint". Diversity Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 Carrie Ghose (13 February 2013). "Anthem Blue Cross parent hires new CEO from Mount Carmel parent". Columbus Business First. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Executive Profile: Joe Swedish". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  7. ↑ J. K. Wall (25 May 2013). "New WellPoint CEO Joe Swedish thrives on complexity". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Kathy Burger (12 February 2013). "New WellPoint CEO Has Been at Center of Healthcare Industry's Transformation". Insurance & Technology. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  9. ↑ Suzy Hagstrom (18 November 1997). "Columbia To Sell Hospitals". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Centura Health CEO steps down". Denver Business Journal. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Jill Philips (15 March 2014). "5 Questions: Joe Swedish at forefront of health care with WellPoint". IndyStar. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  12. ↑ Erik Cassano (26 September 2010). "How Joe Swedish created a new brand identity at Trinity Health". Smart Business Network. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Joseph R. Swedish". Wellpoint. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  14. 1 2 Wilde, Anna; Kamp, Jon (13 February 2013). "Wellpoint Names New Chief Executive". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
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