Volunteer State Health Plan Taps Koehler as Chief Operating Officer
Volunteer State Health Plan (VSHP), an administrator of state-level government health care programs, has named Irv Koehler as its new chief operating officer.
Koehler will provide direct oversight for VSHP’s TennCare line of business, where he will manage Medicaid HMO operations, clinical services, member outreach and network services.
Koehler was most recently employed by VSHP’s parent company BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, where he served as manager of quality management. Before his 10-year career at BlueCross, Koehler served in quality management positions in several health care systems in Florida.
“Irv’s experience with our organization and his understanding of government programs will be great assets to us as we strive to provide top quality services to beneficiaries and members,” said Sonya Nelson, president and chief executive officer of VSHP. “His skills and knowledge will be beneficial as we work to secure opportunities for growth in TennCare, as well as other state Medicaid programs.”
Koehler is a past president of the Tennessee Association for Health Care Quality, for which he currently serves on the board of directors. He holds bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and nursing, and a master’s in business administration with a focus on health care.
