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Press Release

Medica Announces Retirement of CEO and President David Tilford

Medica Executive, Industry Veteran John Naylor Named Successor

Jan. 5, 2017

MINNETONKA, Minn. — Medica today announced the retirement of CEO and President David Tilford. John Naylor, currently Senior Vice President of Medica's Commercial Markets Division, has been named as Tilford's successor. Naylor will assume the new role immediately, while Tilford will be available to assist with the transition through the end of the month.

"I want to thank David for the 16 years of leadership he has provided Medica," said John Buck, Chairman of the Medica Board of Directors. "Under his guidance, Medica grew from a newly independent organization in 2001 to one of the leading health plans in the region today, recognized for innovation, quality and efficiency. In John Naylor, Medica has an outstanding new CEO who will maintain our commitment to ongoing excellent service to our members and the organization's leadership role in the ever-changing world of health care."

Tilford was Medica's first permanent CEO as an independent organization. Some of the accomplishments under his leadership include:

• Becoming an independent organization following its separation from Allina in 2001. At that time, Medica developed its own infrastructure, which included information technology capabilities, human resources and other business functions.
• Development of several advances in products and provider payment methods. These include national network coverage to employers who have employees outside the Medica regional network, total cost-of-care contracting with providers and unique partnerships with care systems.
• Expansion into several Midwest states. In 2001, Medica served only Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Today, it does business in seven states: Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

"I have had a remarkable career at Medica and I have great leadership teams and fellow employees to thank for all the tremendous support we have provided to our customers," said Tilford. "Now is the right time for me to retire. I have the utmost confidence in John Naylor as he assumes the leadership role and leads Medica into a new era."

Naylor joined Medica in April 2010 and has more than 30 years of industry experience. He has led the Commercial Markets Division for more than four years and is responsible for several innovations. Chief among them is the development of accountable care organization products with several health care systems including Altru, Essentia Health, Fairview/North Memorial, HealthEast, Mayo Clinic Health System, Park Nicollet and Ridgeview Community Network. Prior to joining Medica, Naylor was with Willis Towers Watson (formerly Towers Perrin) for 21 years. For more than a decade, he served as the market leader for the Towers Perrin Minneapolis office and Managing Director for the U.S. Central Region, with responsibility for all aspects of selling and providing service to clients across the company’s human resources consulting practice.

"I am delighted to take over the reins from David and am confident that he leaves the organization positioned well for success in the constantly changing health care industry," Naylor said. "I know Medica also has a great leadership team and employee base that will allow us to continue to capitalize on opportunities well into the future."

About Medica

Medica is a health services company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. The non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who have employees outside the Medica regional network.

Medica's vision is to become the community's health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency. Medica partners with the communities it serves in many ways, including the Medica Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable grant-making foundation. The Medica Foundation, which provided $1.5 million in grants in 2015, generally seeks to fund community-based programs and initiatives that can provide sustainable, measurable improvements in the availability, access and quality of healthcare.

Connect with Medica on Twitter @Medica4Me and Facebook at www.facebook.com/Medica4Me.

 

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