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Rick Chiricosta

Also Known As Chiricosta

CEO of Medical Mutual Of Ohio

Education

  • MBA - Bowling Green State University
  • BBA, Accounting - The University of Toledo

Overview

Rick Chiricosta is a chairman, president and CEO of Medical Mutual of Ohio, Inc.(MMOH) at the end of 2022 after more than a decade leading the company.

Chiricosta became president and CEO in January 2009 following the death of his predecessor Kent Clapp. He was named chairman of Medical Mutual’s board of directors in 2013, according to a news release.

“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve Medical Mutual’s members and employees,” Chiricosta said in the release. “This company, and the amazing people who work here, are so important to Ohio’s communities. I’m forever grateful for the time I have spent here and the impact it has had on my life.”

Throughout his tenure, Chiricosta showed “visionary leadership and unwavering dedication for the communities we serve,” the Medical Mutual board’s lead director Bob King said in the release.

“He has been the heart and soul of our company, fiercely dedicated to its customers and its employees, for more than a decade,” King said in the release. “I couldn’t be happier with the positive momentum he and his team have created in a very challenging environment. One of the greatest legacies Rick will leave behind is an extraordinarily engaged employee culture of service and excellence.”

Executive search firm Spencer Stuart will help lead the search for Chiricosta’s successor, the release says.

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish praised Chiricosta’s work at Medical Mutual, which largely provides the health insurance for county employees, Budish said.

“He does a great job running that business,” Budish said in an interview with cleveland.com. “From what I can see he has a great relationship with his employees. They have a high morale from what I can tell, and that doesn’t just happen. It happens because he cares so much about his employees and about the community.”

During his time with Medical Mutual, Chiricosta helped the company adopt and implement the Affordable Care Act, which expanded access to health insurance to thousands of Ohioans, the release says.

He also helped widen access to healthcare through expanding Medical Mutual’s Northeast Ohio provider network. The company’s surplus also doubled during his tenure, leading to financial stability and enough capital to help improve Ohioans’ quality of life over the long term.

Chiricosta’s career in health insurance spans nearly 40 years. He got his start at Medical Mutual, as he was controller of the company’s western division in Toledo during the mid- to late-1980s, the release says. He then became the chief financial officer for Medical Life Insurance Company in 1989; at the time, Medical Life was a wholly owned subsidiary of Medical Mutual.

After briefly leaving Medical Life for a position with National Interstate Corporation, Chiricosta returned to Medical Mutual in 1999 to serve as vice president of finance. He then became president of the life group for Consumers Life Insurance Company, a company under Medical Mutual, in 2006. Chiricosta also served as Medical Mutual’s executive vice president for mergers and acquisitions, the release says.

In addition to his work in health insurance, Chiricosta has served as secretary of the board of directors for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has also chaired the boards of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, among other roles in the nonprofit and civic sectors.

University Hospitals CEO Dr. Cliff Megerian noted that Chiricosta’s care for the patients he serves is one of his defining characteristics.

“And that appears in the way that the company conducts itself,” Megerian said in an interview with cleveland.com. “In other words, I think (Medical Mutual of Ohio), when you’re dealing with them you can always see that Rick has an influence in making sure the patients come first. And we see that, and I see that, and I respect that.”

Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic also commended Chiricosta for his commitment to the community.

“We know access to healthcare and healthcare coverage makes a difference in helping individuals live healthier lives,” Milhajevic said in an email to cleveland.com. “Rick led efforts to expand coverage for people throughout the greater Cleveland community, demonstrating a true commitment to the health of our neighbors.”

Chiricosta’s plans to retire comes as Northeast Ohio undergoes a transition period in leadership within the public, private and civic sectors. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is retiring after four terms, and either nonprofit executive Justin Bibb or Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley will be city’s the next mayor.

University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic, two premier hospital systems based in the city, are each under relatively new leadership. Megerian assumed his new role earlier this year, while Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic started as CEO and president of the Clinic back in 2018.

Cuyahoga County will also have an election for a new county executive in 2022, and current Executive Armond Budish has not yet said whether he will seek a third term. United Way president and CEO Augie Napoli, George Gund Foundation president Dave Abbott, and Cuyahoga Community College president Alex Johnson are also among those who have announced upcoming retirements

Career

  • Medical Mutual Of Ohio - CEO
  • Medical Mutual Of Ohio - chairman
  • Medical Mutual Of Ohio - President

Reference

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