Genuine Health Group, a physician enablement platform that helps physicians transition to value-based care, has named former UnitedHealthcare executive Roger Rodriguez CEO.
Mr. Rodriguez served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare and retirement business for the Southeast before retiring in 2022, according to a Genuine Health Group news release shared with Becker's.
"I saw changes happening in the [healthcare] industry and I always knew I would come back at some point," Mr. Rodriguez told Becker's. "Despite my white hair, I'm still too young to retire, so I was always looking for what would be the right opportunity to hopefully bring my experience and skill set and add value and that's where I ended up matching up with Genuine."
He joined the company as a senior advisor in September, according to the release.
"From my perspective, value-based care is the future of healthcare," he said. "The industry has shifted dramatically from paying for volume to paying to paying for value. So ultimately the organizations that are able to do that best are the ones going to differentiate themselves … It's a daunting challenge, but one that motivated me to get in the provider side of the space."
Mr. Rodriguez began the role of CEO on March 1, taking the reins from the company's co-founder Joe Caruncho, who he said has served as a mentor and friend to him for more than 25 years. Mr. Caruncho, who has been the CEO since the company began in 2017, remains executive chairman.
As CEO, Mr. Rodriguez will continue to expand Genuine's network of affiliated primary care providers, including in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, according to the release.
"We are a 55,000-member business today," he said. "I want to be as successful at 100,000 members, 200,000 members and beyond."