Official 2015 Executive of the Year
Nomination Form with Instructions
Candidate’s Name: / James LangBusiness/Professional Title: / Vice President, Pharmacy Services
Organization: / Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Sponsoring Chapter/Council: / BCBSM Leadership Development Assoc-Chapter #141 &
The Blues-Chapter #145
1st Officer’s Name: / Matthew Zelman & Anita Demps
Office/Title: / Chairman of the Board
2nd Officer’s Name: / James Haskins & Arianne Overholtz
Office/Title: / Chapter President
PART 1 – EXECUTIVE POSITIONS HELD
List last 5 executive positions held (titles) and a brief description of responsibilities. BE SURE TO FILL OUT ALL 5 Items – Maximum 400 CHARacters per item in Times New Roman 10 pt. / Max 10 Pts per item1 / Vice-President, Pharmacy Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. James is responsible for all pharmacy business and initiatives to create new programs that work to contain costs of rising pharmaceutical costs.
2 / Member, Board of Directors, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, a trade association advocating for the pharmacy industry and promotion of education for professionals in the pharmacy industry.
3 / President, Anthem Prescription Management Company, a health care insurers that provides prescription benefit management for its member groups. Lang led the company through industry changes and implemented new cost-containment programs.
4 / Vice-President, Value Rx, national pharmaceutical company, a small independent pharmacy company that was taken over by a large health insurance company. Lang helped the company grow revenues and business making attractive to the larger company.
5 / President, HealthSource Rx, a small independent pharmacy. Lang helped to grow the company from its early days into a large, regional pharmaceutical supplier.
Total Points for Part 1
PART 2 – SIGNIFICANT PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1 / Spearheaded "Go Big, Go Bold, Go Fast" program for the Pharmacy division to save $1 billion in prescription drug costs by 2015, a goal that was realized.
2 / Led the initiatiave to integrate pharmacy services with the Value Partnerships and Wellness and Care initiatives to provide more holistic care to members.
3 / Partnered with Corporate Fraud Investigations to expand the program to incude pharmacy services resulting in savings of $39 million and recognition by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Best of Blue honor.
4 / Leads the pharmacy division into new channel management opportunities such as inpatient incentive programs that encourage hospitals to use the most cost-effective medications and to review medicationregimens with patients before discharge.
5 / Established the James R. Lang Scholarship at the Univerity of Michigan College of Pharmacy to benefit PharmD students.
Total Points for Part 2
PART 3- SUPPORT OF LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES AND NMA
List how this nominee has supported NMA and the principles of contemporary Leadership and Management BE SURE TO FILL OUT ALL 5 Items – Maximum 400 CHARacters per item in Times New Roman 10 pt. / MAX 10 PTS EA.1 / The candidate is a frequent attendee of NMA sponsored eventes including monthly membership meetings and mixers. He has even hosted a networking event after hours to allow members to interact with corporate leadership.
2 / Contributor to the NMA chapter's monthy newsletter through articles and essays on leadership development.
3 / The candidate has offered mentoring sessions as an executive to members of NMA as an offer to mentor others and provide opportuinities to develop leadership skills.
4 / Counsels and mentors recipients of the scholarship he has endowed to ensure that they are successful in their education and learn professional leadership skills as they prepare to enter the workforce.
5 / Actively recruits new members for NMA including from the executive ranks and encourages participation at all levels. This opens up opportunities for networking, brainstorming sessions and the chance to meet and learn about others from around the corporation.
Total Points for Part 3
EOY Nominee Name: / James Lang
PART 4- SPONSORING CHAPTER ENDORSEMENT
Please give the reason, in paragraph form, why you feel your nominee should be selected as the NMA Executive of the Year.Cannot exceed 5,500 characters in Times New Roman 10 pt. / MAX 10 PTS.
Dr. Lang has 30 years of experience in managing pharmacy programs, serving as a senior executive in a variety of health care settings that include pharmacy benefit management companies, managed care, and hospital systems. Currently, Dr. Lang is the Vice President of Pharmacy Services for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a non-profit health care company that serves approximately 4.5 million individuals and pays $3 billion in drug claims every year on behalf of its members.
In his current role leading Pharmacy Services, Dr. Lang spear headed “Go Big, Go Bold, Go Fast.” That’s shorthand for Pharmacy Service’s goal to save $1 billion by 2015, and it reflects the sense of urgency Pharmacy continues to demonstrate under the leadership of James Lang to manage costs and maximize value for our customers. When it comes to innovative solutions and transformative business partnerships, James Lang has been in the forefront. Partnership initiatives include:
•Integrating Pharmacy Services initiatives with Value Partnerships and Wellness and Care Management to provide more holistic care to members
•Partnering with the Corporate Fraud Investigation unit to expand the Fraud, Waste and Abuse program. CFI collaborated with Pharmacy Services to identify significant spikes in claims for compound drugs where the medical necessity of these drugs was questionable resulting in savings of $39 million in 2013 and recognition by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with a 2014 Best of Blue honor.
•Exploring new channel management opportunities, such as in-patient incentive programs that encourage hospitals to use the most cost-effective medications. He is also developing a program to encourage hospitals to carefully review medication regimens with patients before discharge.
Dr. Lang earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Michigan. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University. He has authored numerous publications in national health care journals and presented at hundreds of invited speaking engagements.
The University of Michigan, College of Pharmacy, presented him with the Alumni Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013, he was asked to join the Board of Directors for the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, which intersects with all pharmacy associations and practices to advance the profession, improve patient care and outcomes, and provide education and professional development opportunities. Additionally, James established the James R. Lang Scholarship at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy to benefit PharmD students.
James Lang also supports NMA through:
• Frequent attendee of NMA sponsored events including monthly membership meeting and mixers
• Contributes articles about leadership to the monthly newsletter
• Offered to host a networking sessions
• Offered mentoring session as an executive
James Lang’s thoughtful leadership and daily demonstration of our BCBSM cultural beliefs of “Act Now”, “Be Radical”, and “Reach Out” embody many of the key attributes that the BCBSM NMA chapter seeks in a candidate for its Executive of the Year as well as the NMA principles of Leadership.
Total Points for Part 4
EOY Nominee Name: / James Lang
PART 5 - COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
List community involvement activities for this candidate. BE SURE TO FILL OUT ALL 5 Items – Maximum 200 characters per item in Times New Roman 10 pt. / MAX 10 PTS EA.1 / Established a scholarship program at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy
2 / Mentors and guides his scholarship students through their education and start in the workforce.
3 / Lang has gotten BCBSM involved in the Take Back the Drugs days in the community. These are designated days where members of the public can bring in unused pharmaceuticals to be destroyed.
4 / Lang is an active participant in our corporate diversity programs as well as the NMA community outreach programs such as Gleaners Food Bank.
5 / With a hobby of racing cars and motorcycles, he frequently works with teenagers and helps guide them into racing.
Total Points for Part 5
PART 6 - POINT SUMMARY ---- HEADQUARTERS ONLY
Part 2 / Significant Professional Accomplishments (Max 50 pts)
Part 3 / Support of Leadership/Management Principles and NMA (Max 50 pts)
Part 4 / Sponsoring Chapter Endorsement (Max 10 pts)
Part 5 / Community Involvement (Max 50 pts)
Grand Total Points