Kathy Najarian

Kathy Najarian has extensive experience in healthcare contracting and strategy. Kathy currently serves as the Vice President of Payer Contracting and Strategy at UChicago Medicine, where they lead negotiations and manages payer contracts for the health system. Prior to this role, they were the Interim Vice President of Managed Care at UChicago Medicine. Before joining UChicago Medicine, they worked as a Senior Principal at Lumina Health Partners, where they provided guidance and contract negotiation expertise for payer-provider partnerships and value-based care. Kathy also held leadership positions at Rush Health, where they were responsible for the managed care and value-based care contracting strategy, and at Rush University Medical Center, where they managed contracting and provider/payer relations. Earlier in their career, they served as the Assistant Vice President of Payer Contracting and Strategy at Carolinas HealthCare System-Atrium Health, where they were responsible for the managed care contracting strategy and negotiation of contracts. Overall, Kathy Najarian has a strong background in payer contracting, value-based care, and payer-provider relationships.

Kathy Najarian holds a Master of Health Administration degree from The Ohio State University. Kathy also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Government, with a minor in Accounting, from The Ohio State University, graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors.