Richard Johnson

About Richard Johnson

Rich Johnson has over 25+ years of experience in the managed care and employee benefits industry. A collaborative leader skilled at building alliances and consensus to drive innovation and results. A broad base of experience in analytics, provider contracting, provider engagement, benefits consulting, product development across Medicare Advantage, Commercial, Medicaid and Tricare.Rich came to Cigna in 2019 in a newly created role responsible for developing the Medicare Advantage network strategy supporting growth and margin, contract standardization and payment governance, valued-based/risk contracting capabilities, and alignment with other business segments including Commercial and Individual and Family Plans. Since 2019, the Cigna MA business has tripled its geographic network footprint, doubled its total addressable market of Medicare-eligibles, and expanded its members in valued-based arrangements. The membership in National Risk Partnerships have grown five-fold across 10 partners and 70 arrangements in 19 markets. As a Humana Regional Vice President, he had executive oversight of provider contracting and engagement for all business segments (Medicare, Commercial, Individual Plans, and Medicaid) for a 9-state region with over 450k members. Previously at Humana, he was the National Leader of Provider Performance Analytics and Transparency for 8 years.Prior to Humana, he was a senior consultant for Mercer Consulting where he advised National Accounts in the areas of health & welfare benefits, high-value provider networks, cost containment, etc. Previously, he held network leadership roles for Aetna, Prudential and Humana in Houston, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay, and South Florida. He holds a M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business and a B.A. degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.Specialties: Value-based contracting, provider performance analytics, new product development, and health & welfare benefits consulting

Experience

1. Chief of Payer Strategy and Value Partnerships, South Region

   CommonSpirit Health

   Aug 2025 — Present · US

   Strategic Planning & Integration: Building regional strategic payer vision and integrating it into our Long-Range Strategic Financial Plan (LRSFP).Value-Based Model Design: Designing and providing input into system- or region-wide value-based payment and risk-sharing models.Executive Payer & Joint Venture Relationships: Leading executive-level relationships with regional and national payers, as well as managing expectations with joint venture partners where applicable.Multi-State Payer Strategy Leadership: Leading and aligning multi-market payer strategies and strategic initiatives that span across market boundaries.Managing a specific payer strategy and contracting portfolio across the South Region.Supporting Direct-to-Employer Expansion and Commercial Growth: Spearheading the South Region\'s strategy for expanding employer-based and commercial payer relationships. This includes identifying high-value employer and market opportunities, developing innovative contracting models, and managing execution in collaboration with Value Hubs and cross-functional teams.Focusing on strategic partnerships that align with our growth objectives and create new value streams.

Education

• Gettysburg College

  B.A., Liberal Arts

  1983 — 1987

• University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business

  MBA, Finance

  1992 — 1993

• Choate Rosemary Hall

  High School, General Studies

  1979 — 1983

Skills

• Employee Benefits
• Healthcare Consulting
• Strategy
• Network Development
• Team Building
• Analytics
• Health Insurance
• Medicare
• Ppo
• Leadership
• Process Improvement
• Health Policy
• Provider Relations