Chafee’s OMB director to be next Neighborhood Health CEO

PETER M. MARINO will leave his post as director of the R.I. Office of Management and Budget to assume a new role as CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island,  effective Sept. 1, the insurer announced Wednesday. / COURTESY THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
PETER M. MARINO will leave his post as director of the R.I. Office of Management and Budget to assume a new role as CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, effective Sept. 1, the insurer announced Wednesday. / COURTESY THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

PROVIDENCE – Peter M. Marino, director of the R.I. Office of Management and Budget, has been named as the next CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.

Merrill Thomas, chairman of Neighborhood’s board of directors, made the announcement on behalf of the board on Wednesday, indicating that competition for the slot was strong, and that Marino’s past experience both in and out of government was one determining factor in the board’s decision.

“His combination of public and private sector experience, proven ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders and longstanding commitment to the public good made him the clear choice for our organization,” Thomas said in a statement.

Marino had been director of the Office of Management and Budget for Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee for the past two years. Prior to that time, he served as fiscal adviser to the Senate, and also worked for RDW Group Inc. and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council.

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Marino, who has a bachelor of science from James Madison University and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University, said the job attracted his interest in part because of the Rhode Islanders that Neighborhood serves.

“I am very pleased to be joining Neighborhood,” said Marino. “The company has an outstanding record for delivering quality health care and partnering with the state to improve health care for Medicaid and HealthSource RI participants. I look forward to being part of an organization that is so mission-driven and dedicated.”

Marino joins the nonprofit Neighborhood at a singular moment in its history. The organization, more than any other Rhode Island insurer, has benefited from the explosive growth of Medicaid coverage in the state during the first year of the Affordable Care Act, as administered by HealthSource RI.

Neighborhood’s membership has grown by more than 60 percent during the past seven months, and its net revenue is expected to reach $800 million in 2014. In 2013, the company drew $428 million in revenue.

Marino will begin in his new role at Neighborhood on Sept. 1, replacing James A. Hooley, who has served as Neighborhood’s long-term interim CEO since November 2012.

Chafee spokeswoman Faye Zuckerman said the governor has not selected someone to replace Marino at the Office of Management and Budget.

With funding for HealthSource RI still uncertain, and given Neighborhood’s particular success operating within the framework created by the state’s health insurance exchange, Marino takes over a company that will face unpredictable challenges.

Neighborhood board member Jane Hayward spoke of the challenges facing the new CEO in an email statement to Providence Business News.

“There is always a degree of uncertainty in health care and Neighborhood’s board of directors has focused on having the right person in the CEO role at the right time,” Hayward rote. “Jim Hooley had helped health plans through major growth before and was the right person to lead us for the past 18 months. This is a time of great opportunity and Peter Marino’s expertise in management and budgeting, efficiency and innovation will serve us well in the next phase of Neighborhood’s evolution.”

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