PCOM Names Independence’s Daniel J. Hilferty as 2019 DO Commencement Speaker

April 22, 2019

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has announced Daniel J. Hilferty as the speaker for the 2019 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine commencement ceremony on Friday, May 24, 2019.

“We are excited to welcome Dan Hilferty to speak to our graduating osteopathic medical students, to share his years of experience in the health care industry and his vision for its future,” said Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, president and CEO of PCOM.

Mr. Hilferty is chief executive officer of Independence Health Group, parent of Independence Blue Cross, one of the nation’s leading health insurers. Since he took on that role in 2010, the company has tripled in size, expanding through its affiliates to 27 states and the District of Columbia, and serving 8.2 million people nationwide.

Mr. Hilferty’s vision for Independence Health Group is to lead the transformation of health care in the region, seeking innovative technologies and new models of care that will increase the quality and lower the cost of care. He led the creation of the Independence Blue Cross Center for Health Care Innovation and launched Tandigm Health, a unique venture that arms primary care physicians with the tools and data needed to better manage chronic conditions and deliver more personalized care. He has built business collaborations with world-renowned institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania to foster innovation in health care and partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans and other leaders in health care to build dynamic health care companies, including AmeriHealth Caritas, one of the country’s largest Medicaid managed care companies.

Mr. Hilferty speaks frequently on topics of leadership, transforming health care, and the role of technology and big data. Mr. Hilferty has appeared on MSNBC, Fox Business Network, CNN, and he has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other national media. He is among a select group of nonpartisan leaders called upon by government leaders for advice on health care reform.

Mr. Hilferty is the chair of the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and he serves on the executive committee of America’s Health Insurance Plans. In addition, he is a member of the boards of directors for Aqua America, where he is also the lead independent director, and FS Investment Corporation III. He is the immediate past chair of the board of directors of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. In 2015, he served as co-chair on the executive leadership cabinet of the World Meeting of Families which brought Pope Francis to Philadelphia.

Mr. Hilferty earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps running a community center in Portland, Oregon. After earning a master’s degree in public administration from American University, he returned to the Philadelphia area where he lives with his wife, Joan. The couple has five children and three grandchildren.

The 2019 DO commencement ceremony will be held Friday, May 24, 2019 at 10 am at the Kimmel Center. At the ceremony, Mr. Hilferty will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

For more information, visit Commencement at PCOM.

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