BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PinnacleCare, the premier health advisory firm, today announced that its board of directors has elected Miles Varn, M.D. to be CEO, and James Mead to the new position of vice chairman and lead director.

Miles Varn, M.D.Before his new role, Dr. Varn served as PinnacleCare’s chief medical officer (CMO) for 14 years. During this time, he took the lead in developing relationships with top health systems and physicians across the United States and was responsible for many of the company’s internal systems and innovations.

Prior to being CMO, he spent 15 years at Inova Fairfax Hospital, a level 1 trauma center. In 2004, Dr. Varn was awarded the Inova Health System’s Service Excellence Legend Award for extraordinary patient care.

Dr. Varn is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians. He earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

James MeadMead served as CEO of PinnacleCare for three years and was a member of the board of directors for six years. In his new role, Mead will serve as a link between the board of directors and the company. In addition to his board duties, he will also focus on business development.

Prior to being CEO, he served for two years on PinnacleCare’s board of directors and more than 20 years as president and CEO of Capital BlueCross. Mead has also served on the board of directors of the national BlueCross BlueShield Association and several other boards including the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, where he also served as Chairman. Among his current activities, he serves on the boards of directors of several healthcare companies. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from Penn State University.

According to Bruce Spector, chairman and co-founder of PinnacleCare, “These changes come at an opportune time. Leveraging our core strengths, we have built new, innovative lines of business, including Comprehensive for individuals/families and Connection for groups, that meet the needs of the quickly evolving healthcare industry. We have become the navigator not only for our members and customers, but also for hospitals and health systems, for insurers and for other health service organizations. As such, we want to realign our structure to better take advantage of recent successes and grow even faster in both existing lines of business – as well as in new and unique ones. I strongly believe that Miles and Jim are the leaders we require to help us achieve our future goals.”

About PinnacleCare

PinnacleCare is a leading health advisory firm, founded in 2001, that connects individuals to the world’s most advanced healthcare and facilitates access to top specialists for personalized care. We provide a broad range of support to families and organizations – helping our members to avoid unnecessary medical procedures and access the optimal care they deserve. For more information, visit www.pinnaclecare.com.