Curtis Barnett New Chair of NIHCM Board of Directors

Washington, DC – (December 1, 2021) – It is our pleasure to announce that Curtis Barnett, President and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield (ABCBS), is the newly elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM). A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NIHCM is dedicated to transforming health care through evidence and collaboration.

“I am delighted to welcome Curtis to his new role on the NIHCM Board,” said Nancy Chockley, Founding President and CEO of NIHCM. “He has been a member of our Board since 2017 and has shared great wisdom and counsel from his decades of experience in the health care industry. In just the past few months, he has exhibited extraordinary vision leading ABCBS through the pandemic -- expanding support to ABCBS members, Arkansas hospitals and providers, in addition to launching and leading the Vaccinate the Natural State initiative along with the Arkansas Department of Health and area businesses and organizations, as well as spearheading new work in health equity, and supporting his community.”

NIHCM Advisory Board member, Mike Leavitt, Co-founder and Chairman of Leavitt Partners, added “Curtis Barnett’s Chairmanship of NIHCM provides grounded, practical leadership to one of America’s most notable public policy organizations.”

Mr. Barnett also serves on the board of directors of the national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and is chairman of the board of managers for Blue Health Intelligence, a healthcare data analytics and solutions company.

A 28-year veteran of ABCBS and native Arkansan, prior to becoming CEO in 2017, Barnett served as senior vice president of Internal Operations and as president and CEO of USAble Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of ABCBS.

He serves on the boards of the University of Central Arkansas, the Arkansas Research Alliance, the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce where he serves as a vice chair.