Health Management Associates Names Douglas Elwell CEO; Charles (Chuck) Milligan Joins Firm as COO

Health Management Associates (HMA) announced today that Chief Operating Officer Douglas (Doug) L. Elwell will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective Nov. 1.

Elwell has been HMA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) since February when he rejoined the firm after serving as the Illinois Medicaid director. Charles J. (Chuck) Milligan will join HMA Nov. 1 as the firm’s COO. Marilynn Y. Evert, HMA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the last 11 years, will continue her 21-year career with the firm as vice chairman and senior advisor.

During his first tenure with HMA, Elwell was a principal and managing principal in the Indianapolis office from July 2003 through October 2014. Much of his career, prior to joining HMA, was dedicated to leading hospital systems in roles as CEO, COO, and CFO. More recently, Elwell was deputy chief executive officer for finance and strategy for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System from November 2014 until early 2019.

“Doug’s breadth and depth of experience across programs and providers in the publicly funded healthcare sector, in addition to his firsthand knowledge of HMA, make him the ideal person to serve as our next CEO,” said Jay Rosen, president and founder of HMA. “Doug is a proven leader, a creative thinker and problem-solver, and brings great energy and passion to the work we do with our clients every day.”

Milligan, a healthcare leader who has made significant contributions in both the public and private sectors, has been working as a Medicaid and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (DSNPs) consultant for states, foundations, associations, and others. The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) appointed Milligan a commissioner to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) in January 2015, and appointed him vice chairman in May 2019.

Milligan has served as the Medicaid director for two states, New Mexico and Maryland. In Maryland, he launched the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange and implemented the expansion of Medicaid. While leading the New Mexico Medicaid program, Milligan spearheaded its conversion from fee-for-service to managed care and launched the CHIP program.

Most recently, Milligan was CEO for UnitedHealthcare’s Community Plan in New Mexico. He also served as interim CEO for UnitedHealthcare’s Community Plan in Maryland and national vice president for UnitedHealthcare’s DSNP Product. Milligan’s career includes having been senior vice president of Enterprise Government Programs at Presbyterian Healthcare Services and executive director of The Hilltop Institute at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He began his career as an attorney practicing healthcare law in California.

About HMA

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With 22 offices and over 225 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA’s expertise, services, and team are always within client reach.