LANSING, MICHIGAN – Health Management Associates (HMA) announced today that Donna Checkett, current Aetna vice president for Medicaid growth, will join the independent national healthcare research and consulting firm as vice president of business development on Feb. 6. Checkett will lead new business strategy for HMA.
“Change – fast-paced and unprecedented change – in healthcare is the new norm,” said HMA CEO Marilynn Evert. “Donna knows the industry, the people and the programs inside and out. She has the executive leadership experience in both the public and private sectors and the strategic mindset to help our clients navigate the shifting market and continue to drive client and company growth.”
For the last 19 years, Checkett has guided Medicaid market development and state government affairs for Aetna, a diversified healthcare benefits company serving more than 46 million consumers nationwide. She was CEO for Missouri Care, a Medicaid managed care plan owned by the University of Missouri and eventually acquired by Aetna. She also served eight years as Missouri Medicaid director, shaping early healthcare reform policy, leading the design and implementation of the state’s first Medicaid managed care program, and championing large-scale revenue maximization solutions.
“The changes ahead in politics and in policy are a challenge and an opportunity for our clients and for HMA,” said Checkett. “Our consultants are among the most experienced and forward-thinking professionals in the healthcare industry. They are hardwired for change, solution focused, and ready to seize the opportunities. My job is to chart the course.”
Specializing in publicly funded healthcare policy, programs and financing, HMA has more than 165 multidisciplinary consultants and 20 offices from coast to coast. Clients include government agencies, healthcare providers, health systems, health plans, associations, foundations and institutional investors.