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Read MoreAssociated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) announced today that it will present its 2022 Vision Award to Andrew Dreyfus, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, for his decades-long efforts to create a sustainable and equitable health-care system in Massachusetts.
Mr. Dreyfus, who has announced his intention to step down at the end of 2022, has been at the forefront of developing national models for both value-based payment systems for medical care and health-reform measures that have extended coverage to large segments of Massachusetts residents.
The AIM Vision Award recognizes companies, organizations and individuals who have made unique contributions to the cause of economic opportunity in Massachusetts. The award reflects AIM’s mission to stand for jobs, economic prosperity, innovation and a government that acknowledges that the private sector has the unique responsibility to create the “common wealth” for the people of Massachusetts.
The largest employer association in Massachusetts will present the awards as part of its virtual annual meeting on May 6. The one-hour meeting, entitled “Inclusive Economic Growth,” will include live online gatherings, a discussion with Governor Charlie Baker and networking.
“Andrew Dreyfus has worked in both the public and private sectors to ensure that the world-class Massachusetts health-care system is affordable, sustainable and accessible to everyone,” said John R. Regan, President and Chief Executive Officer of AIM.
“He has in many ways been the conscience of the Massachusetts health-care system from the landmark 2006 reform to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. AIM is pleased to honor Andrew for his 12 years as Chief Executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield and for a career that has benefitted the Massachusetts economy and improved the quality of life throughout the commonwealth.”
Mr. Dreyfus joined Blue Cross in 2005 as Executive Vice President of Health Care Services, where he led the creation of the Alternative Quality Contract, one of the largest commercial payment reform initiatives in the nation. He previously served as founding President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, where he oversaw the development of the “Roadmap to Coverage.” That multi-year initiative led to the passage of the state’s landmark 2006 Health Reform Law, which resulted in the lowest uninsured rate in the country and later became the model for the Affordable Care Act.
That Alternative Quality Contract program rewarded doctors for providing higher-quality care instead of paying them for each office visit, test, and procedure — the traditional fee-for-service payment model. The program has grown over the past decade, and last year Blue Cross became the first health plan in Massachusetts to announce it will incorporate equity measures — differences in the quality of care across racial and ethnic groups — into its contracts and payment programs with clinicians who care for Blue Cross members.
Mr. Dreyfus also increased diversity in the workplace before many companies were focused on the issue. More than half the board of directors and leadership team at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts are women or people of color.
Blue Cross, a nonprofit health insurer, provides coverage for 2.9 million members through some 24,000 employers. Most of its members have private health plans, while others have Medicare coverage.
The company employs about 3,700 people and collects more than $8 billion in annual revenue.
“Andrew Dreyfus has spearheaded much of the research and analysis that has helped employers understand one of their largest investments – providing good health insurance to their workers. He has a keen understanding of specific issues but also sees the bigger picture of what health care and health-care costs mean to the Massachusetts economy,” said William Grant, Chair of the AIM Health Care Committee and Chief Financial Officer of Cummings Properties in Woburn.
Mr. Dreyfus currently serves on the boards of the National Institute for Health Care Management, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, and RIZE Massachusetts. He is a member of the advisory boards of Ariadne Labs and the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California (USC). He is a founding member of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care and a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness.
Prior to Blue Cross, Mr. Dreyfus was Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) and held a number of senior health and regulatory positions in Massachusetts state government.
Dorothy Puhy, chair of the Blue Cross board, praised Dreyfus’s work on complex issues such as end-of-life care, substance use disorder, and racial disparities in health care.
“Andrew is an exceptional and visionary leader who has always put the interests of our members and employer customers at the center of everything we do,” she said in a statement.