Community Health Plan of Washington Welcomes New Chief Financial Officer

Stuart Battersby brings more than 15 years of financial management experience working with physicians, hospitals, and health plans

SEATTLE, July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW), the not-for-profit insurance carrier offering Apple Health (Medicaid), Medicare Advantage, and Individual & Family Plans on the health exchange, welcomed a new Chief Financial Officer, Stuart Battersby, to the organization.

As a member of CHPW's Executive Leadership Team, Battersby collaborates on the strategic goals and initiatives for CHPW, and its parent company Community Health Network of Washington (CHNW), overseeing all budgetary and fiscal responsibilities. A CPA with more than 15 years of experience in health care, Battersby brings to CHPW his proven financial and operational abilities and leadership developed in many health care settings, including physician groups, health care startups, and a national Medicaid health plan.

"We are so pleased Stuart has joined CHPW/CHNW. His executive experience with Medicaid managed care, Medicare, and Health Benefit Exchange products, as well as in other innovative health care businesses are invaluable in ensuring strong stewardship of our finances and providing leadership of our work advancing whole-person and equitable health care," said Leanne Berge, CEO of CHPW and CHNW.

"I find deep meaning in the health care and resources CHPW is able to provide to our members as a not-for-profit that truly is part of the health care safety net for our Washington communities," said Battersby. "While I come from a small rural working-class town in Wales, I recognize many of the barriers to receiving whole-person care are universal."

"Stuart shares our passion for advancing equitable and accessible health care to Washington's communities through our leadership across the state," continued Berge. "His ability to understand and empathize with the issues facing Washingtonians adds a vital lens to the work he does in this role."

In the CFO role, Battersby also oversees all forecasting and budgeting functions, accounting, population analytics and actuarial activities, among other responsibilities. Battersby succeeds Stacy Kessel, who retired after 17 years with CHPW.

Battersby served as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Amerigroup Washington, Anthem and ended his tenure as President and CEO of their Medicaid Health Plan in 2019. While there, he successfully managed several procurement strategies for Medicaid in Washington. Battersby most recently served as CFO for Firefly Health, a virtual advanced primary care services company, where he led all financial responsibilities as well as product strategy and development. Prior to that, as CFO at Sidecar Health Inc., he helped to create a full-risk health insurer from its inception and implemented business models needed for administration under the Affordable Care Act.

"Every day I come to work excited and proud to be part of an organization that puts its members first and works toward ensuring all Washingtonians, regardless of their ability to pay, are supported in achieving their best health," said Battersby.

Battersby holds a Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Certification in Washington and received his MBA from the University of Denver. He received his BS degree from the University of Wales in Cardiff.

About CHPW
CHPW works to advance health equity and whole-person health, connecting members to various physical, behavioral, and social support services to address the social determinants of health (SDOH).* CHPW proudly reinvests surplus revenue back into the Community Health Centers and community organizations to help support critical safety net health care services.

In 1992, a network of Community and Migrant Health Centers in Washington State formally established the Community Health Network of Washington (CHNW) and its subsidiary Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW), a community-governed, not-for-profit health plan, to provide access to quality care for people — particularly those from marginalized communities. CHPW serves more than 300,000 members through Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans, as well as the Health Benefit Exchange's Individual & Family Plans (Cascade Select), across the state. Its parent, CHNW, provides care to over 1 million individuals across Washington through its federally qualified member Community Health Centers.

*Social determinants of health, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "are conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life." To learn more about this, visit the CDC's website.

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SOURCE Community Health Plan of Washington