Jim Dempster and Sherry Bellack have made careers of helping others improve their health. They will continue to impact the wellbeing of others as chair and vice chair of the inaugural Medicare Advisory Group, a committee organized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma.
Dempster and Bellack are part of a board that will provide information, feedback and insight to enhance evaluation and measurement of Medicare plans.
Dempster is credited with helping create one of the first independent PPO networks in Oklahoma, which included 4,600 physicians and 120 hospitals, during as executive director of CompMed Services. Dempster now serves as director of business development and customer success at MedEncentive, a company focused on improving health and cost measures for employers, insurers and governments.
“Years ago, I developed this mission to empower people to having better health so that they can have a better life,” Dempster says. “There’s nothing worse in life than having poor health. You can lose your job, your home. It really impacts a lot of areas of life.”
Bellack has made a career of managed care education and service. She worked her way up to a leadership role at the heakth insurer PacifiCare, a health and spearheaded the company’s voyage into a Medicare product.
“It was about getting back into the sand pile I like to play in,” Bellack says, describing her interest in the Medicare Advisory Group. “I am a true believer in the managed care system. I know it can work for people, and I know it can save you money.”
Dempster and Bellack are excited to see the committee’s potential impact on BCBSOK and its Medicare members.
“I commend Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma for starting this advisory group and supporting the committee,” Dempster says. “That commitment to improving the member experience through getting the involvement of members is commendable. It sets Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma apart from the pack of competitors.”