Hartford Business Journal

26 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 POWER 25 | Healthcare 445 employees at the end of 2023, still occupies 66,000 square feet in Science Park, the company said. Houston has over 30 years of industry experience and previously served as the senior vice president of specialty discovery at Bristol Myers Squibb. He also worked at Glaxo Well- come Research and Development in the U.K., where he served as head of the lead discovery unit. Lou Gianquinto L ou Gianquinto runs the state's largest health plan, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, which covers more than 1 million people in Connecticut. Anthem serves both self- and fully-insured customers in the individual, small and large group markets. The insurer has brought several new offerings to the market in recent years, including its Link Virtual First health plans, which offer virtual care options, including access to an AI-backed symptom checker, routine wellness care, chronic condition management and behavioral health care. In May, Anthem announced a new provider network deal in Connecticut with InStride Health, a virtual specialty pediatric anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) treatment provider. InStride treats anxiety and OCD in children and young adults ages 7 to 22, with a focus on moderate to severe conditions causing signifi- cant life impairment such as social isolation, school avoidance, family disruption, physical symptoms or depression. And, at a time when hospitals and health insurers continue to butt heads over reimbursement rates, Gianquinto in January announced a significant new multiyear provider contract with Trinity Health Of New England, parent company to St. Francis and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation hospitals in Hart- ford; St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury; and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs. As part of the deal, Gianquinto said the two organizations "will accelerate their collaboration on several inno- vative initiatives, including advanced data connectivity and value-based care models." Gianquinto was named president of Anthem in November 2020. He's got strong ties to the state, having graduated from Southern Connecticut State University. He earned an MBA from the University of New Haven. Gianquinto also held several jobs in the Connecticut insurance industry at UnitedHealthcare and Oxford Health Plans. Jon-Paul Venoit F or Masonicare President and CEO Jon-Paul Venoit, 2024 has been another year of change. For someone whose favorite quote is, "Don't be afraid of change. Be afraid of not changing," that's a good thing. He'd already led Masonicare through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The 357-bed, long- term skilled nursing center was forced to quickly implement a number of protocols, including visitor restric- tions, daily employee screenings and infection-control measures. In May of this year, the state's largest not-for-profit provider of senior healthcare and living services announced plans to merge with Shelton-based United Methodist Homes Inc. (UMH), to create one of the largest such organizations in New England. The deal, subject to various approvals, is expected to close early next year. It includes merging each organi- zation's third-party management business — GenM for Masonicare, which provides supportive services for care providers, and The Long Hill Co. for UMH, which manages operations for senior care facilities in Texas, Oklahoma and Oregon. Once the deal is final, Venoit will remain as president and CEO of Masonicare, while UMH President and CEO David Lawlor will become CFO and president of its manage- ment/consulting services division. While the merger represents change for both organizations, for Venoit it means he will remain at Masonicare, where he started in dining services at age 16. After serving in various manage- ment roles, Venoit was named president and CEO of Masonicare in October 2016. Given his attitude about change, it's not surprising he views the merger positively. "By combining our complemen- tary capabilities and talent, we will be poised to create a stronger, more resilient organization that is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of our residents, patients and stakeholders," he said. Jennifer Jackson T wenty-four years ago, the iPhone didn't exist. Neither did YouTube; in fact, renting videos from Blockbuster was still a thing. One thing that hasn't changed since the year 2000, though, is Jennifer D. Jackson leading the Connecticut Hospital Association as its chief executive officer. The CHA serves as an advocate for the state's hospitals and health- care systems. Its members include 27 of Connecti- cut's not-for- profit acute care hospitals. According to the associa- tion's 2024 Economic Impact Report, the state's hospitals and health systems generate $38.7 billion for the state's economy, and employ more than 119,400 people. Still, like those nationwide, hospi- tals in Connecticut continue to face difficult financial challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As noted in a separate report from the association, hospitals and health systems in the state "are now meeting the challenge of treating sicker patients than they saw before the pandemic, supporting a workforce that is exemplary but exhausted, and managing through significant financial hardship brought on by record-level inflation." That financial hardship is, in part, the result of being under reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid, the CHA says. Jackson, who joined the CHA in 1988, earned a nursing degree from the University of Delaware; an MBA from the University of New Haven; and a law degree from the UConn School of Law. Before taking over as CEO, she had served as the association's general counsel and vice president. Susan Halpin T he health insurance industry is one of the most powerful special interest groups at the state Capitol. In fact, so far during the 2023-24 reporting period, the Connecticut Association of Health Plans has spent $672,514.54 on lobbying, according to the Office of State Ethics. That's the sixth-largest amount spent on lobbying by any organization. Leading the association is Exec- utive Director Susan Halpin, who is also a lobbyist with Hartford law firm Robinson+Cole. Halpin's role was elevated last year when Robinson+Cole launched a new subsidiary to formalize its government relations group. The CT Government Relations Group of Robinson+Cole LLC is led by Halpin and Brooks Campion, who are co-principals. Halpin has direct responsibility for all healthcare and insurance matters, according to the firm. As major employers, health insurers wield significant power in the halls of the state Capitol and they've been able to fend off some policies they view as negative to the industry, including a public health insurance option, which has been promoted in the past by some Democratic lawmakers. More recently, top health insurance executives testified during a heated public hearing about proposed rate increase requests for 2025 health plans. Early in her career, Halpin worked in the state Capitol as a Senate aide, according to her bio page. She then joined the lobbying group Duffy/ Stover Inc., which became part of Robinson+Cole in 1991. In 2018, Halpin was named co-prin- cipal of the Robinson+Cole Govern- ment Relations Group leading the state team of lobbyists. Today, the CT Government Rela- tions Group of Robinson+Cole lists five staff members. Michael Aberman & Jay Markowitz T alk about returning with a bang. Dr. Michael Aberman, then-senior vice president of strategy and investor relations, left New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuti- cals in July 2017 to lead an emerging private biotechnology company. Three years later, Dr. Jay S. Markowitz, senior vice president of portfolio management, departed Regeneron in February 2020 to pursue a new opportunity within the investment community. Fast-forward to April 2024, when both Aberman and Markowitz returned to lead Regeneron Ventures, a Greenwich-based biotech venture capital fund that launched with a

• Cover