Alex Rachmiel,
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Vice president and chief of staff to CEO, Optum Health
Alex Rachmiel helps Optum Health's leadership team run at maximum efficiency.
Optum Health is the chain of clinics operated by the Optum healthcare services provider, itself owned by UnitedHealth Group. Rachmiel said his job is to be where Optum Health CEO Dr. Amar Desai can’t and to answer questions when Desai is unable.
“The way my role works is to really be an extension of [Desai] and be a behind-the-scenes position to his role, and really be executing and crafting strategy with him and executing his various priorities,” Rachmiel said.
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See which young leaders made list.Rachmiel said his job duties can range from helping one of Optum Health’s more than 130,000 providers arrange their clinic scheduling to crafting the company’s national virtual care strategy. In 2023, he worked with a doctor to design Optum Health's new digital tools, which include provider portals, remote patient check-in and referral management services and are now being deployed nationwide.
“The more diverse roles you have, the more leaders you get exposed to, the better,” Rachmiel said of his experience working directly with clinical staff. “You're going to get more perspective and you're going to be able to connect the dots better.”
Rachmiel's interest in healthcare stems from a diagnosis of two bulging spinal discs in high school. He said he enjoys playing pickleball and paddleboarding to help manage the ongoing condition. He also likes traveling and has visited more than 50 countries—including his mother’s home country of Serbia.
—Nona Tepper