MINNEAPOLIS, May 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NovuHealth, the healthcare industry’s leading consumer engagement company, announced today that Steve Wigginton has joined the company as chief executive officer. Wigginton succeeds company co-founder Tom Wicka, who has served as CEO since the company’s inception and will move to the role of executive chairman.
Wigginton brings more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience in both the payer and provider markets, as well as a successful track record of driving growth organically and through acquisitions. Wigginton comes to NovuHealth from Sutter Health|Aetna, a 50/50 joint venture between Aetna, a CVS Health company, and Sutter Health, a not-for-profit integrated health delivery system in northern California. There, he served as the joint venture’s first CEO, launching an innovative commercial health insurance business. Before that, he served as CEO of Valence Health, where he led and grew the business following its acquisition by Evolent Health. Prior to that, he was the chief development officer at Evolent Health. Additional leadership roles in care management, physician practice management and healthcare supply chain round out Wigginton’s experience.
“NovuHealth has successfully combined two key ingredients not often seen together in this industry—a deep understanding of the payer market along with extensive consumer marketing and behavioral sciences expertise,” said Wigginton. “NovuHealth’s team and culture are exceptional. Their growth since inception is impressive. I’m excited about building on the progress to date and delighted to join the company to drive the next phase of growth and expansion.”
Wicka, as executive chairman, will be taking a strategic role developing business markets, creating new partnerships, and working with Wigginton and the board to drive M&A opportunities. Jim Bradley, who has served as board chairman since 2016, will remain an active member of the board.
“Leading NovuHealth from its founding to our current leadership position has been a special experience,” said Wicka, who led the company during its early growth, including back-to-back appearances on the Inc. 5000 list. “My passion for NovuHealth is as high as ever. Adding a person of Steve’s talent as the next CEO should be seen as a signal to the marketplace and our employees that we intend to push growth to new levels. The market is seeking a broader health engagement and communication platform. Steve’s deep experience helping companies scale their operations, raise new capital and complete strategic acquisitions makes him ideally suited to accelerate our growth.”
In addition to two straight appearances on the Inc. 5000 list, NovuHealth was named two years running as one of the Top 150 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and was also named one of the Best Places to Work by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. For more information on NovuHealth and its consumer engagement solutions, visit novu.com.
About NovuHealth
NovuHealth is the leading healthcare consumer engagement company, driven to improve consumer health and health plan performance. NovuHealth motivates consumers to complete high-value healthcare activities by leveraging its sophisticated engagement platform, proven loyalty and behavioral science strategies, and deep industry and regulatory expertise. Headquartered in Minneapolis, NovuHealth has worked with nearly 40 health plans and served nearly 15 million consumers across all 50 states. Learn more at novu.com.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec23db08-f3d6-4dfc-a925-172e6bf74aaa