Blue Cross Hires Experienced Physician Leader Mills as Chief Medical Officer

BATON ROUGE, La. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana announced today 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, Health Services and Chief Medical Officer.

Mills will begin in this position, which is part of Blue Cross’ Senior Management Team, on Nov. 9 and will report to Blue Cross President and CEO Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi. Mills will oversee staff, programs and services within 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 (FMOL) Health System, to develop inHealth. Mills held various roles with the FMOL system from 2004 through 2017, including joining as chief medical information officer, then becoming chief information officer for the system and later, vice president of Quality and Innovation. FMOL created Healthy Lives, a comprehensive, patient-centered preventive care and wellness program, with Mills’ leadership.

“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.

Mills is considered a thought leader on the subjects of healthcare technology, care transformation processes and population health strategies. She is frequently invited to present lectures on these topics for national audiences.

“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 degree 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.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We were recognized in 2019 and 2020 as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.