WellPoint Inc. (WLP) announced that its board has elected Joseph Swedish as the company's new chief executive officer, effective March 25, 2013. Swedish, 61, who most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Trinity Health Corporation, succeeds interim chief executive officer John Cannon.
Cannon will remain with WellPoint, and in addition to his role as Executive Vice President of Legal & Public Affairs he will help guide the transition, providing continuity and operational leadership.
Swedish has 40 years' experience in health care, holding senior executive positions at multi-institutional health care systems, university- and community-based academic medical centers, integrated delivery systems and regional rural referral hospitals.
Prior to joining Trinity Health, Swedish was President and CEO of Centura Health. He has also served as President of the East Florida and Central Florida Divisions for the Hospital Corporation of America from 1994 through 1998.
Swedish has served on the boards of three publicly-traded corporations: Coventry Health Care Inc. from 2010 to 2013; Cross Country Health care, Inc. from 2002 to 2005; and RehabCare Group Inc., from 2003 to 2005. He is Chairman-elect of the 2013 Health Care Systems Governing Council of the American Hospital Association as well as past chairman of the Medicare Wage Index Task Force and a member of the Equity of Care Council.
In addition, he is Chairman of the Catholic Health Association and Director of Loyola University Chicago, the National Quality Forum and the Health Care Education Trust.
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