March 12, 2024 – RetireeFirst, a leading Retiree Benefits Management provider, today announced that it has attained a HITRUST r2 certification for its Box and Salesforce platforms at its headquarters and data centers.
HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certification demonstrates that the organization has met demanding regulatory compliance and industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk. This achievement places RetireeFirst in a select group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification. By including federal and state regulations, standards, and frameworks and incorporating a risk-based approach, the HITRUST Assurance Program helps organizations address security and data protection challenges through a comprehensive and flexible framework of prescriptive and scalable security controls.
“Organizations like ours are continually under pressure to address current and emerging threats and meet complex compliance, information protection, and privacy requirements. RetireeFirst has a proven track record of excellence, having received the first HITRUST certification in 2019 and maintaining continuous certification since then,” said Mike Yoo, CIO at RetireeFirst. “We are pleased to demonstrate to our clients the highest standards for data protection and information security by achieving the rigorous HITRUST r2 Certification.”
“Without consistency, transparency, and reliability, an information security assessment can’t provide the requisite level of assurances needed to make important business decisions. That’s why we focus on producing the highest quality reports available,” said Vincent Bennekers, Vice President, Quality at HITRUST. “Achievement of a HITRUST r2 Certification is an assurance that RetireeFirst takes compliance and information risk management seriously.”
Executive Team Expansion
In addition to the HITRUST certification, RetireeFirst is excited to announce the expansion of its Executive leadership team with the appointment of Mike Rahman as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ketan Patel as Chief Human Resources Officer, and Christina Matty, Senior Vice President, Client Service Operations. The strategic hires further advance the company’s ongoing commitment to group plan sponsors and their retirees, and bring decades of combined industry experience and expertise to RetireeFirst. The new appointments include:
Mike Rahman, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer: With more than 12 years of healthcare and fintech industry experience, Mike has a strong track record of growing and transforming businesses. During his tenure as CFO and President of Solutran, a healthcare payments business, he grew the company to serve over 15 million Medicare members across most of the top-20 health insurers. He also led the successful sale of Solutran to UnitedHealth Group in 2021. Most recently, Mike led Optum’s Health Benefit Account business, a leading provider of HSA, FSA, HRA and other accounts, serving over 55k employers with $20B of assets under management. As EVP and CFO, Mike is responsible for providing executive leadership over the finance department.
Ketan Patel, Chief Human Resources Officer: With more than 20 years of extensive global HR leadership experience leading progressive HR functions through transformation and growth, Ketan has deep expertise in people, technology, and change on a global scale across multiple industries. As CHRO, Ketan is responsible for architecting and implementing the overall human capital plan designed to support RetireeFirst’s growth strategy. In this role, Ketan is accountable for setting the strategic direction for RetireeFirst’s people and culture investments to continue the company’s position as a Best Place to Work.
Christina Matty, Senior Vice President, Client Service Operations: With over 20 years of healthcare industry expertise, including leadership roles at UnitedHealthcare, Christina oversees end-to-end client experiences, from onboarding to successful annual plan benefit renewals. Her team collaborates closely with advocate teams to ensure outstanding retiree benefit support for Labor Union, Public Sector, and Commercial clients.
“In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, ensuring the highest level of service and support for our clients and retirees remains paramount. We are thrilled to welcome Mike Rahman, Ketan Patel, and Christina Matty to our executive team. Their wealth of experience and expertise will significantly bolster our ability to meet the diverse needs of plan sponsors and retirees alike. With their leadership, we are poised to deliver even greater value and innovation,” said John P. Dulczak, CEO, RetireeFirst.
Since its inception, RetireeFirst has maintained a singular focus on managing group retiree benefits and group Medicare. RetireeFirst collaborates with brokers and consultants to address the complex benefits challenges their clients face, driving value for them and their members. The company’s end-to-end Retiree Benefits Management solution, coupled with its people-centric approach and extensive carrier relationships, enables RetireeFirst to deliver significant savings, streamline administrative processes, enhance member satisfaction, and safeguard the benefits retirees deserve. RetireeFirst’s Retiree Advocacy Services assist members in navigating Medicare, understanding their benefits, and accessing programs aimed at improving their health and wellbeing.
