Richard Cosgrove
About Richard Cosgrove
Richard Cosgrove serves as the Vice President of Medicaid Business and Cost Management at Highmark Inc., where he focuses on aligning health plan processes with government requirements. With extensive experience in healthcare management, he has held various leadership roles, including Director of Outpatient Operations at HealthSouth and Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers.
Work at Highmark
Richard Cosgrove currently serves as Vice President of Medicaid Business and Cost Management at Highmark Inc., a position he has held since 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this role, he is responsible for aligning organizational change management processes with federal and state government health plan requirements. He oversees the Vendor Management Office, ensuring compliance with various regulations. Prior to his current role, he worked as Program Manager for Medical Cost Initiatives at Highmark from 2020 to 2022, where he developed and executed a $100 million medical cost savings initiative portfolio through cross-functional collaboration.
Education and Expertise
Richard Cosgrove holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Marketing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which he completed from 1982 to 1986. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Arts in International/Global Studies from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania between 1989 and 1991. Additionally, he earned a Master's Certificate in International Business Management from Point Park University from 1987 to 1989. His educational background supports his expertise in business operations, strategic initiatives, and cost management within the healthcare sector.
Background
Richard Cosgrove has a diverse professional background in the healthcare industry, spanning over three decades. He began his career as a Senior Analyst/Acting Manager at Travelers from 1986 to 1991. He then transitioned to HealthSouth, where he served as Director of Outpatient Operations & Business Development for ten years. His experience includes leadership roles at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers as Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and as CEO/Practice Administrator at Ophthalmic Associates. He also contributed to academia as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown from 2006 to 2009.
Achievements
During his tenure at Highmark, Richard Cosgrove led the Vendor Management Team to significantly improve employee engagement and satisfaction, moving from the 23rd to the 91st percentile nationally on the Gallup Core Behaviors index within his first year. He achieved the highest Core Behavior index mean score among executive leadership team members for team employee engagement and satisfaction at Highmark Medicaid Markets. His initiatives have focused on aligning health plan departments with regulatory requirements and enhancing operational efficiencies.