William Winkenwerder Jr. Explained

William Winkenwerder Jr.
Nationality:American
Known For:Previously the United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Occupation:Healthcare executive

William Winkenwerder Jr. is an American business and health care industry executive. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs from 2001 to 2007. He also has served in other executive positions within the health industry.

He previously served as CEO of Highmark.[1] [2] He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Winkenwerder Strategies and the Chairman of CitiusTech.[3]

Education

Winkenwerder graduated from Davidson College with a BS in Pre-Med in 1976 and The University of North Carolina Medical School in 1981.[4] In 1986, he received his Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. Winkenwerder is board certified in internal medicine, and a fellow of The American College of Physicians.

Career

Early career

Winkenwerder worked as a senior executive in the private healthcare industry. He was an early advocate of evidence-based medicine, prevention, and clinical practice guidelines.[5] He was Vice President at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.[6] AHIP asked him to join their board of directors.[7]

Department of Defense

From October 2001 through April 2007, Winkenwerder served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs in the United States Department of Defense. His senate confirmation was sponsored and presented to the US Senate Armed Services Committee by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Winkenwerder was one of the officials who pursued a military anthrax vaccine immunization program and its potential expansion to include civilians.[8] [9] While in office, Winkenwerder also documented the U.S. military smallpox vaccination program through a study.[10] Winkenwerder also organized a task force that worked on a plan to provide benefits for reserve and National Guard forces, which opened Tricare to non-mobilized reserve servicemen without employment or health insurance.[11]

In 2005, Winkenwerder testified before Congress on the subject of military mental health.[12]

Also in 2005, during his tenure at the Department of Defense, Winkenwerder issued an internal policy statement reiterating the importance of 'humane treatment of detainees' during interrogations at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[13] The guidance specified that military medics charged with the medical care of detainees must be guided by medical ethics, make medically appropriate decisions and report inhumane treatment.[14] It was later reported that military intelligence, which did not report to Winkenwerder, allowed some 'non treating' medical and science personnel to assist in the interrogations. Winkenwerder said that had resulted in a very small number of reports of patient abuse by military medics.

In 2007, he was also testified about conditions and renovations at the Walter Reed Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.[15] [16] During his tenure, the Walter Reed Medical Center, the Bethesda Naval Hospital, and several smaller military hospitals were consolidated into the National Naval Medical Center.[17]

Winkenwerder launched AHLTA (Armed-forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application), which was the world’s largest electronic health record system at the time of its implementation, in order to transition the armed forces to using electronic health records.[18]

He stepped down from his post in April 2007, following criticism of the Department of Defense's medical records system he had overseen.

Winkenwerder is an honorary chairman of the International Committee of Military Medicine.[19]

Later career

In 2004, Winkenwerder received the Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater, the Wharton School of Business, for his work with the Department of Defense. In 2005, he went on to receive the Dr. Nathan Davis Award from the American Medical Association.

In 2007, Winkenwerder was hired as a senior adviser by Deloitte.[20] From 2007 to 2012, Winkenwerder has served as chairman of The Winkenwerder Company. In 2009, Johns Hopkins Medicine retained The Winkenwerder Company to help develop advanced health care services for government agencies.[21]

From 2012 to 2014, he served as CEO of Highmark.[22] During his tenure, Highmark established the Allegheny Health Network after acquiring several hospitals in Western Pennsylvania, including Saint Vincent Hospital.[23] [24] [25] In May 2014, Winkenwerder was removed from the position.[26]

In late 2014, Winkenwerder established the private equity firm Winkenwerder Strategies.[27]

He also sits on the board of directors of The Bob Woodruff Foundation.[28] He is also a board member at Confluent Health,[29] Accreon,[30] and Cureatr, where he served as vice chairman of the board.[31] Since 2015, Winkenwerder has served as the board director of CitiusTech Inc, becoming its Chairman in 2017.[32] He acted as an advisor to candidates in the US national elections of 2008 and 2012.[33]

Publications

Winkenwerder has published articles, interviews, and editorials in Health Affairs,[34] New England Journal of Medicine,[35] Journal of the American Medical Association,[36] New York Times,[37] The Washington Post,[38] The Wall Street Journal,[39] and USA Today.[40] He has contributed to national news and media outlets including CNN,[41] ABC,[42] and Fox News.[43]

Recognition

Winkenwerder has been recognized for his professional achievements by:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Highmark names William Winkenwerder as new CEO . 2023-06-16 . Healthcare Finance News . en.
  2. Web site: 2014-05-21 . Winkenwerder out at Highmark . 2023-06-16 . bizjournals.com.
  3. Web site: COVID-19 Updates with Dr. William Winkenwerder - Blogs HLTH . 2023-06-16 . HLTH . en.
  4. Web site: Highmark: William Winkenwerder, Jr. . 2023-06-16 . poandpo.com.
  5. William L. Roper, M.D., William Winkenwerder, M.D., Glenn M. Hackbarth, J.D., and Henry Krakauer, M.D., Ph.D.. Effectiveness in Health Care. The New England Journal of Medicine. November 3, 1988. 319. 18. 1197–1202. 10.1056/nejm198811033191805. 3173456.
  6. Web site: "Another Walter Reed-Type Scandal" . 2023-05-29 . Mother Jones . en-US.
  7. News: Robert Galvin . August 4, 2005 . The Complex World Of Military Medicine: A Conversation With William Winkenwerder . Health Affairs .
  8. Web site: 2002-06-28 . Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program . 2023-07-31 . www.c-span.org.
  9. Web site: 2003-12-23 . Military Anthrax Vaccine . 2023-07-31 . c-span.org.
  10. Grabenstein . John D. . Winkenwerder . Jr, William . 2003-06-25 . US Military Smallpox Vaccination Program Experience . JAMA . 289 . 24 . 3278–3282 . 10.1001/jama.289.24.3278 . 0098-7484. 12824209 . 2574050 . subscription .
  11. Web site: 2003-11-22 . Military Update: DOD official wary of healthcare gains for some reservists . 2023-07-31 . Stars and Stripes . en.
  12. Web site: 2005-07-26 . Military Mental Health . 2023-07-31 . c-span.org.
  13. Mayer . Jane . 2005-07-03 . The Experiment . en-US . The New Yorker . 2023-05-29 . 0028-792X.
  14. Web site: 2005-06-17 . DOD issues guidance for medics dealing with detainees . 2023-07-31 . Air Force . en-US.
  15. Web site: 2007-02-21 . Conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center . 2023-07-31 . c-span.org.
  16. Web site: 2007-03-06 . Conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center C-SPAN.org . 2023-07-31 . www.c-span.org.
  17. News: 2011-08-27 . Two military medical icons become one - The Washington Post . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110827103102/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/two-military-medical-icons-become-one/2011/08/26/gIQAlfxFhJ_story.html . 2011-08-27 . 2023-07-31 . Washington Post.
  18. Web site: 2005-11-21 . Global health records system goes electronic . 2023-07-31 . Air Force . en-US.
  19. Web site: ICMM CIMM: General Structure . 2023-05-29 . www.cimm-icmm.org.
  20. Web site: 2007-07-10 . Winkenwerder hired as Deloitte senior adviser . 2023-05-29 . Modern Healthcare . en.
  21. Web site: 2009-06-08 . Johns Hopkins Medicine taps Winkenwerder to help win federal contracts . 2023-07-31 . bizjournals.com.
  22. Web site: 2014-05-21 . William Winkenwerder out as Highmark CEO - Pittsburgh ... . 2023-02-27 . bizjournals.com.
  23. Web site: 2007-03-05 . William Winkenwerder joins board of Athenahealth . 2023-07-31 . Modern Healthcare . en.
  24. Web site: 2014-05-21 . Highmark CEO Winkenwerder out after less than 2 years . 2023-07-31 . triblive.com.
  25. Web site: Highmark and Saint Vincent Finalize Affiliation . 2023-07-31 . www.erienewsnow.com . en.
  26. Web site: 2015-10-30 . Highmark paid former CEO $9.79M in total compensation in 2014 . 2023-02-27 . bizjournals.com.
  27. Web site: 2015-10-30 . Former Highmark CEO made nearly $10 million in 2014, tax records show . 2023-07-31 . triblive.com.
  28. Web site: The Bob Woodruff Foundation Welcomes New Board Members, Moves Headquarters to New York City . https://web.archive.org/web/20121006025431/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9528934.htm . dead . October 6, 2012 . 2023-05-29 . PRWeb.
  29. Web site: 2019-11-26 . Confluent Health names new director after change in investor group . 2023-07-31 . bizjournals.com.
  30. Web site: 2015-04-08 . Accreon Receives $5.5M Investment from Mansa Capital Management . 2023-07-31 . FinSMEs . en-US.
  31. Web site: 2017-01-27 . Manhattan health tech startup picks former insurance exec as new CEO . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210728192332/https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20170127/NEWS/170129918/manhattan-health-tech-startup-picks-former-insurance-exec-as-new-ceo . 2021-07-28 . 2023-07-31 . modernhealthcare.com.
  32. CitiusTech Names William Winkenwerder, Jr., MD as Chairman of the Company . 2023-02-27 . businesswire.com . 28 November 2017 . en.
  33. News: McCain, Obama Advisors Debate Health Care. Charlottesville Daily Progress. October 2, 2008.
  34. Galvin . Robert . January 2005 . The Complex World Of Military Medicine: A Conversation With William Winkenwerder: The assistant secretary of defense for health affairs discusses health care under pressure in the Defense Department in a time of war. . Health Affairs . en . 24 . Suppl1 . W5–353–W5-360 . 10.1377/hlthaff.W5.353 . 16081498 . 0278-2715.
  35. Roper . William L. . Winkenwerder . William . Hackbarth . Glenn M. . Krakauer . Henry . 1988-11-03 . Effectiveness in Health Care . New England Journal of Medicine . en . 319 . 18 . 1197–1202 . 10.1056/NEJM198811033191805 . 3173456 . 0028-4793.
  36. Grabenstein . John D. . Winkenwerder . Jr, William . 2003-06-25 . US Military Smallpox Vaccination Program Experience . JAMA . 289 . 24 . 3278–3282 . 10.1001/jama.289.24.3278 . 0098-7484. 12824209 . 2574050 . subscription .
  37. News: 2002-03-28 . A NATION CHALLENGED; Fertility Isn't Hurt By Anthrax Shots . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-07-16 . 0362-4331.
  38. News: Vedantam . Shankar . 2006-05-13 . Pentagon Faults Report Questioning Veterans' Mental Health Care . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-07-16 . 0190-8286.
  39. News: 2004-02-04 . Veterans Say Military Keeps Poor Health Records on Troops . en-US . Wall Street Journal . 2023-07-16 . 0099-9660.
  40. Web site: 2009-06-11 . USA Today Editorial, Opinion Piece Debate Veterans' Health Care . 2023-07-16 . KFF Health News . en-US.
  41. Web site: CNN.com - Military's use of malaria drug in question - May 20, 2004 . 2023-07-16 . www.cnn.com.
  42. Web site: Pentagon Takes 'Full Responsibility' for Walter Reed's Building 18 . 2023-07-16 . ABC News . en.
  43. Web site: 2015-03-25 . Lab Mix-Up Blamed in Anthrax Scare . 2023-07-16 . Associated Press . en-US.
  44. Web site: 2015-05-27 . Past Recipients of the Nathan Davis Awards . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150527050110/http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/awards/nathan-davis-awards-outstanding-government-service/past-recipients-nathan-davis-awards.page . 2015-05-27 . 2023-07-16 . American Medical Association.
  45. Web site: WHCMAA Alumni Awards . 2023-07-16 . Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association . en.
  46. Web site: Distinguished Alumni Award . 2023-07-16 . davidson.edu.
  47. Web site: Federal Health Update . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045204/http://www.federalhealthcarenews.com/newsletters/2006-12-22.pdf . 2016-03-04 . 2023-07-16 . federalhealthcarenews.com.