Colorado Access Announces New Executive Management Positions

Gretchen Flanders-McGinnis

Dr. Alexis Giese

Colorado Access announces the promotion of Gretchen Flanders McGinnis as vice president of public policy and performance improvement and the appointment of Alexis Giese, MD to vice president of behavioral health.  

“These positions will help Colorado Access respond to the growth we have experienced over the past year and will help the company efficiently respond to future growth,” said Marshall Thomas, MD, president & CEO and chief medical officer of Colorado Access. “Both Ms. McGinnis and Dr. Giese have demonstrated high levels of dedication and integrity throughout their careers, and I look forward to working with them in these new roles.” 

During the past year, Colorado Access has expanded to include a Medicaid managed care plan that serves the needs of the elderly and disabled, and on July 1, 2008, became the administrator of the Child Health Plan Plus State Managed Care Network.  Additionally, as a result of a competitive bid process, the company’s behavioral health line of business, Access Behavioral Care, will continue to serve the mental health needs of Medicaid members in the city and county of Denver.  Through this contract, the company will implement new and innovative programs, including an increased emphasis on care management and coordination.

 As the vice president of public policy and performance improvement, Ms. McGinnis  is accountable for oversight and management of corporate strategic planning, business development, quality management, provider and community relations, media relations, legislative relations, and the Office of Member and Family Affairs.  “I am very excited about the opportunity to coordinate our performance improvement activities and integrate those activities with similar efforts on both the state and national levels,” said Ms. McGinnis.   

Ms. McGinnis has been with Colorado Access since 2000.  She received a BS in Biology from Vassar College and earned a Masters of Science in Public Health from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  Previously, she served as the director of strategic planning and business development at Colorado Access.

As the vice president of behavioral health, Dr. Giese will provide day to day expertise on behavioral health issues and will provide executive oversight of the Access Behavioral Care lines of business.

Dr. Giese is a board-certified psychiatrist and an experienced clinician with over 15 years experience working with persons with mental illnesses.  She earned her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas at Houston and completed her residency in psychiatry at Georgetown University Hospital.  In addition to her work with Colorado Access, Dr. Giese is the director of community programs for the University of Colorado Denver Depression Center and is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Colorado Access is a private, nonprofit health plan that has served the medical and behavioral health needs of the medically underserved for more than a decade. The company’s four lines of business are Colorado Access Advantage, Access Behavioral Care, Colorado Access Health Plan-Enhanced Care  Management, and Child Health Plan Plus. Colorado Access is sponsored by The Children's Hospital, Colorado Community Managed Care Network and University of Colorado Hospital/University Physicians, Inc. More information is available at www.coaccess.com.