Spotlight on Foundation Trustee: Allan J. Chernov
The AMCP Foundation is fortunate to have a strong group of thought leaders serving on our Board of Trustees. In this issue we spotlight Trustee Allan J. Chernov, MD, who served as our President from 2015 through this spring.
How long were you Medical Director, Medical Policy and Quality for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX)? I spent 15 gratifying years at BCBSTX until retiring in January 2017 to embark on a new “career” – recreational bike riding and playing duplicate bridge! My working life as a physician actually spanned 46 years: 14 years in clinical practice of Internal Medicine and then 32 years as a managed care physician executive.
What did you like most about your work? As a primary care internist, it was building relationships with individual patients and their families. Shifting to health plan management meant changing my perspective to population health as well as individual patient care. It was challenging – but fun -- dealing with diverse and fascinating issues that ranged from the medical/scientific to the organization and financing of health care delivery.
What is the one quality you feel best describes you? Nerd.
How did you first get involved with AMCP? I was fortunate, early in my managed care career, to have worked on health plan pharmacy administration with several AMCP founders. When the AMCP Foundation decided it needed a more diverse Board of Trustees, my long-time friend and colleague, Perry Cohen, recruited me to serve. Thanks, Perry!
Why did the invitation to serve on the Foundation Board appeal to you? I had long been an advocate for managed care pharmacy at the health plans I worked for. The unexpected invitation to serve on the Foundation Board just seemed a perfect fit for me!
Since you have been a member of AMCP and an AMCP Foundation Trustee, what has been the best learning experience for you? Wow, that’s a toughie – like being asked to choose your favorite child! But pressed, I’d say it would be hard to beat the Foundation’s annual Research Symposium as an outstanding opportunity to learn new stuff.
What do you find most challenging about supporting the AMCP Foundation? Two things. First, insufficient awareness of the Foundation’s achievements in advancing managed care pharmacy. Second – and intimately connected to the first challenge – the constant struggle for funds to continue and grow the Foundation and its programs.
Of the many projects that the Foundation is working on, what is most exciting to you? It’s not a singular project I find most exciting – it’s the Foundation’s creative managed pharmacy programs, which educate and inspire pharmacy students and drive an incredible level of active involvement in AMCP.
Read AMCP Foundation Highlights achieved during Dr. Chernov's tenure as President, 2015 to 2019.