Health Care Heroes 2022: John Webb, president of Cigna Tri-South – The Business Journals

If your heart is strong, and you’re fully mobile, and you have all your teeth, you can thank your youth or your good genetics. Or, more likely, you can thank your doctor. A good doctor can see you through everything from minor aches and pains and major medical issues to mental struggles and chronic physical issues.
A good doctor will nag you — and absolutely besiege you with calls, texts, and emails — about your annual checkups and age-related diagnostic tests.
And, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes elements to the medical field: organizations that advocate for a healthier community, administrations that run our local teaching hospitals and schools. The world’s been in a health crisis for a couple years now.
So, in 2020, MBJ’s Health Care Heroes focused on those doctors, scientists, health professionals, and administrators who steered us through COVID-19. In 2021 and again this year, we have broadened the scope to include all of those who take care of our minds and bodies. We will be rolling out one profile a week through the end of the year.
Here’s to your health. And theirs. 
Administrative Excellence
President, Cigna Tri-South
John Webb is committed to the well-being of Memphis. In his role as president of Cigna Tri-South, Webb has launched initiatives aimed at taking on COVID-19, breast cancer, and diabetes. The Cigna Health Improvement Tour mobile clinic provided underserved neighborhoods with free vaccines, PPE, and health coaching on COVID protection and treatment. Cigna also tapped into influencers including NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, U of M legend and former NFL player DeAngelo Williams, and Pastor Jerrod Gunter to engage with these communities.
Webb also partnered with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare on a mobile mammography van that went to local churches and community centers. Webb’s efforts in reducing diabetes is particularly notable. He recognized that outreach programs were not always successful, so he created a program of community health workers, in which health care workers directly engage in such communities as Orange Mound. The results were dramatic: 92% of the program’s participants lost weight; 67% lowered their blood pressure; 83% decreased their cholesterol; and 100% of those with depression saw positive improvement.
As his nominator wrote, “Webb’s strong leadership, proven track record, and ability to drive deep relationships with local providers and his community is an asset to his team, Cigna’s customers, and people throughout the region.” – Susan Ellis
Why did you decide to go into the health care industry? I transferred from aerospace to health care after meeting someone in graduate school in the health industry, I was drawn in by the noble purpose of improving the quality of people’s lives. I have strived to make an impact since entering health care and have never looked back.
What advice would you give someone entering your profession? You need to have passion for improving the health delivery system and strive to increase access to care for all. There are many obstacles and issues so you need to be up for a challenge.
If you could change one thing about your profession, what would it be? Have consistent agreed upon objectives between all the players in the health care delivery system.
What are the ways in which you get back to your profession? I’m heavily involved in the community related to health. I pay particular attention to improving health literacy access and programs supporting the social determinants of health. Also, I help in areas of economic development, homelessness, and STEM education for youth.
What is your most memorable career defining moment? Moving to Toronto, Canada, to take the helm of a Canadian subsidiary for a U.S. company. This entity was languishing at the bottom of the market, and I was able to forge a turnaround and have it become an industry leader in Canada.
How has COVID changed the way you approach health care? What protocols would you’d like to see remain in place? The biggest change related to the pandemic is the exponential rise in telemedicine. Since we see digital health as a significant part of health care delivery moving forward, Cigna purchased MDLive to greatly expand our network of virtual care providers. In the future, customers will increasingly appreciate the convenience of accessing care at home, work, and on the go through their phones or computers. Therefore, we want to be on the leading edge of this change.
Where do you go to unwind? I travel both domestically and internationally. I also like to visit my adult children who are in Washington, D.C., and Grand Canyon, Arizona. I am an avid sports fan, so I watch and attend many games. Finally, my biggest escape is reading. I am very dangerous in a bookstore.
Are you from Memphis? If not, where are you from and what brought you here? I’ve lived in nine states plus Canada. I’m originally from New York City. I came to Memphis to head up the Tri-South market for Cigna. I rescued a dog from the local animal shelter and named him Memphis in honor of my new city.
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