CareSource Oklahoma Announces CEO and Oklahoma Market President

Veteran Managed Care Operator To Lead Efforts In Oklahoma Market

OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 16, 2020) – Long-time managed health care operator William (Bill) Baker, Jr. has agreed to join CareSource Oklahoma Health Plan Co. as CEO and Oklahoma Market President. The company, a joint venture between CareSource and Healthcare Highways, is bidding on Oklahoma’s SoonerSelect Medicaid program.

“CareSource is fully committed to Oklahoma and it is important to us to identify a Medicaid managed care expert to lead CareSource Oklahoma, in the event that we are fortunate enough to be awarded a contract,” CareSource President and CEO Erhardt Preitauer said. “Bill brings unmatched knowledge and expertise in the managed care industry. He is an accomplished leader with superior management and operations skills, which will be important for the successful implementation of the SoonerSelect program.”

Baker has dedicated his professional career to designing, building, implementing and managing Medicaid managed healthcare operations in order to successfully meet the needs of the stakeholders. As a long-time leader in the managed Medicaid industry, he has implemented and led several new managed Medicaid markets. Baker has a history of developing innovative partnerships with both providers and hospitals and successfully negotiating contracts that create a strong provider network to drive member access to care and quality outcomes. One of his key accomplishments was spearheading a public-private partnership with a large social service agency that combined education and outreach with traditional case management and preventive medicine for high-risk, inner-city families.

“My initial goal is to make a positive difference every day for all Oklahomans that we have an opportunity to serve,” Baker said. “I am excited to bring CareSource’s holistic approach to Oklahoma and implement creative solutions that will benefit health partners, members and community-based organizations, as well as the state.”

CareSource Oklahoma’s parent company is the largest multi-state, nonprofit Medicaid managed care company in the country. The organization is known as an innovator in the healthcare industry and has been a leader in tackling key issues surrounding the social determinants of health.

“If selected and awarded a contract, CareSource is slated to hire 279 new employees in Oklahoma with a potential $60 million economic impact to the state,” Baker continued. “This is the perfect opportunity to lead the expansion of managed care in the state with an organization that has developed game-changing programs around the Medicaid members that are market tested.”

About CareSource Oklahoma

CareSource Oklahoma is a joint venture between CareSource and Healthcare Highways. The partners came together to leverage their combined strengths, providing a powerful combination of both a leading managed care organization with 30 years of experience and a strong local partner who knows healthcare in Oklahoma. CareSource is the largest multi-state, nonprofit Medicaid managed care company in the country. Healthcare Highways has been in Oklahoma since 2010 and has built a reputation on having a robust provider network. CareSource Oklahoma is bidding on the Oklahoma Medicaid business that was formally announced by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority on October 15.