Sales and marketing healthcare veterans to support market expansion in Medicare and Medicaid.
Wider Circle, a peer-based community health organization working with payers to connect neighbors for better health, today announced the appointment of Bill Friedman as Vice President of Payer and Provider Engagement, and Deb Jorge as Vice President of Marketing.
These new hires mark Wider Circle’s latest investment in the growth leadership team to support expansion goals among new and existing plan sponsors in 2023 and beyond. Friedman and Jorge will report to Darin Buxbaum, Chief Executive Officer at Wider Circle.
“As Wider Circle continues its national expansion, we are fortunate to have Deb’s and Bill’s leadership in marketing and sales efforts,” Buxbaum said. “We are excited to leverage their decades of expertise in the payer and provider landscape to grow the Wider Circle brand and extend the reach and impact of our offerings to underserved populations on behalf of our sponsors.”
Wider Circle was founded around the mission of solving the last mile of healthcare by building neighborhood groups that empower health plan members to motivate and support each other to get the care they need, when they need it, where they need it. Through peer-to-peer engagement rooted in trust, the company restores the community support network essential to managing better health, improving social determinants of health, and providing a better health plan member experience with lower healthcare costs.
Bill Friedman, VP of Payer and Provider Engagement
Friedman is responsible for payer and provider business growth strategy. He brings deep expertise selling and marketing digital health engagement solutions with an intimate knowledge of the health payer space. Most recently, Friedman led payer sales at Carrot Fertility, a global provider of fertility benefits. Prior to Carrot, he led all sales and lead generation for Zipari, a SaaS-based consumer engagement solution for health insurers, where his team was instrumental in the eventual acquisition by Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm. He also held SVP sales positions at Easy Choice Health Plan of New York and Health Republic Insurance of New York, respectively.
“Creating a smoother and more connected member experience for underserved populations across Medicare and Medicaid is a critical gap to fill,” Friedman said. “Wider Circle allows me to fulfill that goal with a robust solution that just feels absolutely right. I love that I get to be a part of delivering a happier, healthier, and more human experience for our members.”
Deb Jorge, VP of Marketing
Jorge will be responsible for developing critical marketing infrastructure, defining multi-channel B2C and B2B marketing strategies, and building out a team to support marketing needs across the organization. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and consumer segmentation with expertise in womens, multicultural, and senior markets. Jorge has led branding and digital marketing programs for startups and global Fortune 100 companies alike, including UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Citigroup, and MassMutual. She earned several industry awards for driving consumer engagement within employer-sponsored plans. She has also served on numerous boards, including the Sisters of Providence Health System and the YMCA.
“Inequalities accumulate and are reinforced throughout a person’s life and ultimately undermine healthy aging. I’ve seen its effect on my own parents,” Jorge said. “At Wider Circle, I feel privileged to apply my healthcare marketing expertise in collaboration with an exceptional team to address social determinants of health and improve quality measures for hard-to-reach consumers in fun, engaging ways.”
About Wider Circle
Wider Circle works with health plans nationally to deliver unique community care programs that connect neighbors for better health. Centered on trusted relationships, Wider Circle connects health plan members with like-minded neighbors to inform, support and motivate one another, empowering them to be more proactive about their health. Wider Circle’s trusted delivery network has been proven to drive resilience, improve member experience and engagement and reduce hospitalizations. Today, Wider Circle offers its unique neighborhood care programs to over 700 communities nationwide. To learn more, visit www.widercircle.com.
