Prime Therapeutics hires Kenneth H. Paulus as president and CEO

EAGAN, Minn. – Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime) announced today that its board of directors has selected Kenneth H. Paulus as president and CEO, effective May 7. Prime is a total drug management company serving more than 28 million members nationally. Prime’s board is comprised of executives representing 18 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

“We selected Ken from a slate of strong candidates based on his long track record of transformational leadership, his passion for making an impact on health care and his ability to galvanize people around a clear vision,” said Board Chair Kim Keck, president and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Paulus comes to Prime with more than 30 years of leadership in the health care sector. Currently, Paulus is an executive advisor with Water Street Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm focused on the health care sector. He also has served on numerous boards of directors for innovative health care enterprises, giving him exposure to telemedicine, innovative risk-sharing and payment models, and data-driven customer experience solutions.

“This is a very special opportunity to join a great team doing important work,” said Paulus. “Prime Therapeutics plays a critical role in the health of our community and is positioned to make a difference in a number of important ways. I look forward to working with each of the Blue Plan owners and clients to improve the health of their members. It’s a wonderful privilege and honor.”

From 2005 to 2015, Paulus held leadership roles at Allina Health; including CEO, president and chief operating officer (COO). Based in Minneapolis, Allina is one of the nation’s largest, most seamlessly integrated health delivery systems. During his tenure, Paulus led Allina beyond traditional acute care and into improving health, home-based care, retail pharmacy, and management of complicated specialty and chronic disease.

Earlier in his career, Paulus served as president and CEO of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, the staff model partner of Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare in Boston. While at Harvard Vanguard, Paulus led creation of Atrius Health and served as the system’s first president and CEO. Prior to Atrius, he was COO of Partners Community Healthcare, the risk-bearing entity of Partners Healthcare System.

Paulus earned a degree in biological sciences from Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., and a Master’s in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota. He succeeds Jim DuCharme who retired in March.