UnitedHealthcare Names Dr. Ron Fujimoto as Chief Medical Officer of Community Plan
HONOLULU – UnitedHealthcare (UHC) announced Dr. Ron Fujimoto has joined UnitedHealthcare’s Community Plan for Hawaii as the new chief medical officer. His daily clinical duties will include complex case reviews, appropriate care reviews, clinical leadership for the internal clinical team and overseeing cost-effective initiatives. The position has been expanded to include serving as a medical liaison and providing relationship building with external provider partners through collaborative projects. Dr. Fujimoto will also have oversight on quality improvement and patient safety activities.
Dr. Fujimoto joined UHC Hawaii after seven years of serving as the medical director in HMSA’s Care Management Department where he was responsible for various areas including credentialing, quality improvement and disease management. He also had clinical oversight for HMSA’s Pharmacy Management Department quality and patient safety projects.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Fujimoto to UnitedHealthcare Community Plan,” said Bill Guptail, president of UnitedHealthcare of Hawaii. “He has more than 20 years of experience in family practitioner positions that will help UnitedHealthcare further improve the delivery of healthcare service to our members.”
Dr. Fujimoto has experience in coordinating prenatal and post partum care, which will enhance UnitedHealthcare’s focus on mothers and babies.
Dr. Fujimoto previously served as vice chair of Wilcox Hospital’s Family Practice Department, a family practitioner for Kuhio Medical Center and medical director of the Hawaii Family Medical Center. He also served on the Hawaii Board of Osteopathic and Medical Examiners for 10 years. He is board certified in Family Practice and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Despite his new full-time administrative position – which requires knowledge in evidence-based medicine, clinic workflow issues and day-to-day clinic operations – he will remain connected to clinical work by seeing patients on one Saturday every month.
Dr. Fujimoto is a Kauai native and graduated from Kauai High School. He got his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his master of science degree in public health at the University of Hawaii School of Public Health. He is married with three sons and a 2-year-old grandson. He joined UnitedHealthcare on June 4.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare serves approximately 21,000 aged, blind and disabled Medicaid members in the State of Hawaii’s QExA (QUEST Expanded Access) program and also serves 29,000 Medicare members in Hawaii. UnitedHealthcare will offer a new QUEST health plan option on July 1 for the more than 225,000 individuals enrolled in the QUEST program.
UnitedHealthcare also provides health care benefits and services to 7,000 employer group plan participants. The company employs about 200 people on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.