NHCAA Elects New Board Chair

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) today announced that Sara "Sally" A. Walker, Esq., Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), has been elected as Chair of the NHCAA Board of Directors for the year 2020. Walker succeeds Roger I. Purnell, AHFI, CFE, Director of the Special Investigations Unit at BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina.

Commenting on the election of Walker, NHCAA Chief Executive Officer Louis Saccoccio said, "For several years, Sally has faithfully served NHCAA, lending her extensive knowledge and skill to the issues that impact the constantly changing anti-fraud industry. Sally's willingness to ask the tough questions and her ability to recognize challenges and opportunities are benefits to the Association. These qualities, together with her decades of health care industry experience will be valued assets as she leads our Board of Directors in the coming year. We are proud to have Sally serve as Chair of the 2020 Board of Directors."

In her current role with BCBSMA, Walker is responsible for leading an enterprise risk management program that identifies and provides strategic guidance on risks to BCBSMA, its employees, and its customers, while ensuring the appropriate framework is in place to address and manage those risks. One such risk is health care fraud. Walker is closely engaged in understanding threats to payment integrity and the processes in place that are designed to prevent, detect, and respond to such threats.

Walker joined BCBSMA in 1997 as Assistant General Counsel. She then served for ten years as Senior Associate General Counsel and Director of Fraud Investigation and Prevention, followed by her current position as Vice President of ERM. Together with the BCBSMA Director of the Special Investigative Unit (SIU), Walker co-chairs the BCBSMA Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA) Committee, designed to provide a cross-functional, holistic approach to fighting health care fraud. The Enterprise Risk Management team partners with the SIU to conduct an enterprise-wide fraud risk assessment.

"Sally has provided our company outstanding legal counsel in a variety of roles with wide-ranging responsibilities, said Stephanie Lovell, Esq, Chief Legal Officer and EVP Medicare at BCBSMA. "Sally's success leading our fraud prevention work, experience in the law and ability to think strategically make her an excellent choice to chair the board of directors at National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association. Congratulations to Sally on behalf of all her colleagues here at Blue Cross."

Walker's election was announced in conjunction with NHCAA's Annual Training Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The Annual Training Conference is the premier event recognized as the nation's leading health care anti-fraud forum for approximately 1,300 public- and private-sector health care anti-fraud professionals.

Founded in 1985, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association is the leading national organization focused exclusively on the fight against health care fraud. NHCAA's members comprise more than 100 private health insurers and those public-sector law enforcement and regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over health care fraud committed against both private payers and public programs.

SOURCE National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association

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http://www.nhcaa.org