MVP Health Care appoints new chief medical officer

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — MVP Health Care has named Dr. Elizabeth Malko as its new chief medical officer.

She will succeed Dr. Allen Hinkle on July 18, the Schenectady, New York–based health insurer said in a news release issued Monday.

Hinkle earlier this year announced that he would be leaving MVP.

Malko has more than 20 years of managed-care experience, working in both for-profit and nonprofit payer settings.

She comes to MVP from Evolent Health in Arlington, Virginia where she served as executive VP for clinical transformation and operations.

The Washington, D.C.–based Advisory Board Company (NASDAQ: ABCO) founded Evolent in 2011 to help progressive health-care systems “lead, build and own the path to value-based care,” according to the MVP release.

Malko’s management experience includes leadership of engineers, physicians, pharmacists, nurses and administrative and managed-care staff, MVP said.

She led a staff of more than 350 associates at Evolent in clinical strategy and relationships.

In addition, Malko previously served as the executive VP and chief medical officer for Fallon Community Health Plan in Worcester, Massachusetts; as the regional medical director for WellPoint Inc.’s (now Anthem) state-sponsored business; and as a lead medical director for Anthem BCBS in New Hampshire and Connecticut.

Earlier in her career, she also served as a family physician in private practice and as a chief engineer in several environmental-engineering firms.

“Dr. Malko brings great talent and experience to MVP and I am confident that she will play a significant role in our ongoing transformation as we meet and manage the challenges presented by an ever-changing industry,” Denise Gonick, president and CEO of MVP Health Care, said in the health insurer’s release.

Malko earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in engineering and environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She earned her doctor of medicine degree at the University of Connecticut.

She is board certified in family practice and is an active fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, according to MVP Health Care.

MVP Health Care serves more than 700,000 members in New York and Vermont, according to its news release. The figure includes nearly 60,000 members in Central New York (CNY), according to the 2016 Book of Lists.

MVP is the 5th ranked health insurer in CNY, based on the number of employees working in the region. The company has 32 of its 1,500 employees working in CNY, according to the same publication.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com