India-educated health executive Rajat Puri is joining Premera Blue Cross, a leading not-for-profit health plan in the Pacific Northwest, as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
As COO, Puri will lead the company’s technology and operations teams in delivering a seamless experience for Premera’s customers and members, the Mountlake Terrace, Washington-based firm announced. This includes work within customer service, membership and billing, claims processing, IT, and digital solutions and offerings.
“Rajat brings with him a strong point of view on how the right mix of operational process and technology can be leveraged at scale to advance the member and provider healthcare experience,” said Jeffrey Roe, CEO and President of Premera Blue Cross. “His industry expertise and collaborative nature will be instrumental in building solutions that make healthcare work better for our members.”
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“From my first interactions with Premera, it was evident the culture of the company was something special,” Puri said. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do meaningful work in a not-for-profit setting alongside passionate, collaborative teams. I look forward to furthering the company’s important mission.”
Puri comes to Premera from Carelon Global Solutions (CGS), the subsidiary of Elevance Health that provides digital tools and operational support to health plans and health systems.
Before he founded CGS, Puri served as COO of Carelon, overseeing call centers,claims processing, provider operations, and IT. Prior to Elevance, Rajat held positions at McKesson, Birlasoft and Tata Consultancy Services.
Puri graduated from Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology in Patiala, India with a Bachelor of Engineering degree and holds an MBA from ICFAI Business School in Bangalore, India.
He also earned a Chartered Financial Analyst certification in Bangalore and completed executive leadership courses at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
Premera Blue Cross provides comprehensive health benefits and tailored services to more than 2.5 million people, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies, according to the company release.