HealthPartners Names Jim Eppel to Senior Leadership Team

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (April 14, 2017, 10 am CT) – HealthPartners today announced that veteran health care delivery and financing executive Jim Eppel will join the organization later this year as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer.

Last month, the organization announced that President and CEO Mary Brainerd will retire on June 1 and be succeeded by Executive Vice President Andrea Walsh. Eppel is expected to join HealthPartners in July and will report to Walsh. He will be responsible for many of the organization’s centralized care delivery and health plan administrative functions.

“Jim Eppel is one of the most thoughtful and talented health care leaders in the region and he will be an excellent addition to the HealthPartners senior leadership team,” said Brainerd.

“With a collaborative leadership style, Jim has strong health plan and care delivery experience that will make him a great fit with the HealthPartners mission, vision and culture,” added Walsh.

Eppel joins HealthPartners after serving as President and Chief Executive Officer at Minneapolis-based UCare, the fourth-largest health plan in Minnesota. Previously, Eppel served as Senior Vice President at Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group; Chief Operating Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota; and Vice President of Business Development at Allina Health. He began his career with KPMG Peat Marwick and holds a degree from the University of St. Thomas.