UPHP Names Melissa Holmquist Chief Operating Officer
MARQUETTE — Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP) President and CEO Dennis Smith announces Melissa Holmquist as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Holmquist, a Crystal Falls native, is in her 14th year with the company being promoted from her current position, Director of Government Programs. UPHP, a managed care organization providing Medicaid and Medicare services to members in the Upper Peninsula, has grown rapidly since 2015, adding new product lines like MI Health Link and increasing its Medicare Advantage membership.
Chief Operating Officer will be the seventh position Melissa Holmquist has held within the company, after having first applied for employment at Upper Peninsula Health Plan while she was a Graduate Student at Northern Michigan University. “UPHP has been a great company to work for. I’m excited for this new opportunity to provide more leadership and share the knowledge that I have gained throughout my career. I look forward to growing our community collaboration efforts and working with organizations that meet the social needs of our members,” said Holmquist.
In her role as COO, Melissa Holmquist will report to the President and CEO of Upper Peninsula Health Plan, and will continue to serve as a member of the Senior Management team; However, she now has complete responsibility for the following departments: Government Programs, Physician Services, Credentialing, Customer Services, Reception, and Advocacy with our Governmental Units (Local, State and Federal).
With more than a decade of experience in various departments at UPHP, Melissa Holmquist has the experience and institutional knowledge to excel in this new position. “We are excited to have Missie take on additional leadership responsibilities as we continue to scale our programs to serve greater numbers of individuals including those with complex needs,” noted Smith. “There is a tremendous opportunity to build on our history and make UPHP operationally stronger.”
About UPHP
Upper Peninsula Health Plan currently serves over 47,000 members across five product lines (Michigan Medicaid, MIChild, Children with Special Health Care Services, MI Health Link, and Medicare Advantage) and its network exceeds 900 providers. Learn more at www.uphp.com.
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