Stacia Cohen, R.N. Biography


Photo: Stacia Cohen

Stacia Cohen is the Executive Vice President for Health Services of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a leading multi-line, not-for-profit healthcare company offering a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products through its affiliates and subsidiaries and administrative services to 3.4 million individuals and employers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia.

Ms. Cohen joined CareFirst in September 2018 where she leads the development and execution of a cohesive strategy across all provider relationships, clinical and quality programs, medical and coverage policy, community health and social impact that drive meaningful impacts on health, access, affordability, and equity. In this role, Ms. Cohen’s primary focus is to lead the transformation of Health Services to integrate services, solutions, relationships, and investments that influence and impact health in the places where Members live, work, play, and seek care.

She brings to CareFirst more than 20 years of experience in driving a culture of health that delivers value and outcomes for people and communities. After serving on active duty in the U.S. Army, she began her professional career in healthcare as a nurse after receiving her nursing degree from Western College, followed by a Master’s in Business Administration with emphasis in Health Care Leadership from the College of St. Scholastica.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Cohen had executive responsibility for Medicare markets at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota as Vice President of Medicare. Before that, she was the Vice President, Star and Risk Adjustment Center of Excellence. There, she directed enterprise strategic and operational efforts to optimize risk-adjusted revenue, earn quality bonus payments, and achieve optimal Star ratings. Ms. Cohen has held progressive leadership roles in a wide array of health management programs, member engagement and experience, provider engagement, compliance, operations, and analytics.

In addition to her work with CareFirst, Ms. Cohen advocates for the health and well-being of others through her many affiliations with local and national organizations, including her role as a Commissioner on the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC), the Maryland Primary Care Program Advisory Committee, the Maryland Department of Health Stakeholder Innovation Group, and as a founding member of Chief. Ms. Cohen is a nationally recognized thought leader in strategies and partnerships to deliver affordable, accessible, equitable health care for all.