The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) today announced that Thomas "Tom" Hixson, Senior Director of Special Investigations at Cigna has been elected Chair of the NHCAA Board of Directors for the year 2021. The election took place during the Annual Business Meeting of NHCAA's Membership Forum. Hixson succeeds Sarah A. Walker, Esq., Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Commenting on the election of Hixson, NHCAA Chief Executive Officer Louis Saccoccio said, "For many years, Tom has been an active voice lending his knowledge and wisdom to NHCAA, its members and the anti-fraud industry at-large. Tom's steady and thoughtful leadership will be a valued asset as the Association continues to navigate the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. We are proud to have Tom serve as Chair of the 2021 Board of Directors."

Hixson brings with him, 30 years of experience in the employee benefits insurance industry. For the last two decades, he has been dedicated specifically to the Cigna Special Investigations Unit (SIU). During this time, Hixson has gained diverse experiences spanning U.S. domestic and international healthcare product lines including government, disability, life and supplemental benefits. Currently, he oversees the investigative teams focused on Cigna's largest book of commercial health care business.

Cigna Business Analytics Managing Director Matthew Norton offered the following: "Tom has elevated Cigna's anti-fraud capabilities through his global mindset, end-to-end process focus, and drive to ensure early identification, investigative integrity, and an open-minded partnership with all. His ability to leverage technology and systems thinking to drive results is truly outstanding, and has been a material driver in differentiating Cigna's SIU in the market."

In addition to his service to the NHCAA Board of Directors, which began in 2014, Hixson has presented at several NHCAA programs, including the Annual Training Conference. He has participated on various panel discussions and co-presented on the Use of Data Analytics & Link Analysis to Identify Fraud and Preparing for a SIU Audit.

Hixson's election was announced in advance of NHCAA's Annual Training Conference, which will this year be hosted virtually, November 17-20, 2020. The Annual Training Conference is the premier annual event recognized as the nation's leading health care anti-fraud forum for public- and private-sector health care anti-fraud professionals. This year's program will boast more than 1,600 attendees.

Founded in 1985, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association is the leading national organization focused exclusively on the fight against health care fraud. NHCAA's members comprise more than 100 private health insurers and those public-sector law enforcement and regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over health care fraud committed against both private payers and public programs.