Senior Staff

Kathy Warner

Kathy Warner

Regional President, AmeriHealth Caritas

Kathy Warner is a Regional President for AmeriHealth Caritas. She joined the company in March 2019.

Warner has over 30 years’ experience in health care and insurance. As Regional President, she is responsible for the business growth, daily operations, and financial goals for health plans in Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Warner was most recently Market President of AmeriHealth Caritas Florida, where she was responsible for overall plan operations. She led the implementation and integration of the health plan after its acquisition from Florida Blue.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas, Warner was Plan President of WellCare of South Carolina. She served in leadership roles for 12 years with WellCare in the Georgia and South Carolina markets, focusing on Medicaid and Medicare Advantage growth. She also worked with a large Georgia health system in managed care contracting and served as Chief Financial Officer for their provider-sponsored health plan.

Warner earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

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Courtnay Thompson

Courtnay Thompson

Market President

As Market President, Courtnay Thompson leads overall operations for Select Health of South Carolina.

She previously held the position as Select Health's Director of Plan Operations and Administration. She was responsible for day-to-day health plan operations and contractual requirements execution and acts as liaison among the state, health plan, and enterprise functions.

Prior to that position, Thompson served as Director of Clinical Program Analytics (Cost Containment) for AmeriHealth Caritas.℠ She has also served as business operations analyst at Select Health and in Utilization Management roles with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana and Select Health. Thompson has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

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Dr. Kirt Caton

Kirt Caton, M.D., FAAFP

Market Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Kirt Caton was named Select Health of South Carolina’s Market Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in 2018. As Market CMO, Dr. Caton will be responsible for market-based clinical leadership and execution of all health care affordability and clinical quality initiatives.

Dr. Caton joined Select Health in 2013 and has been serving as Select Health’s Medical Director for Utilization Management (UM). Before joining Select Health, Dr. Caton spent his entire career practicing medicine in South Carolina. He worked as a private practice physician with Palmetto Primary Care Physicians (PPCP), a large medical group in the Lowcountry. He was instrumental in developing a patient-centered medical home practice for PPCP and also served on its board and quality committee.

While at PPCP, Dr. Caton was an active member of Select Health’s Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement committee. He also served as an adjunct professor of family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Caton completed an undergraduate degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at Charleston Southern University, his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina, and an internship and residency in family medicine with Trident Family Medicine. He is board-certified in family medicine.

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Sean Popson

Sean Popson

Director, Plan Operations and Administration

Sean Popson is Director of Plan Operations and Administration for Select Health of South Carolina.

She is responsible for the day-to-day direction, management, and coordination of all business planning and administrative-related functions, processes, and resources. Popson serves as a liaison between the state, health plan, and enterprise functions. As second in command to the Market President, she helps to ensure the plan meets state program contractual and regulatory requirements and works with local and corporate resources to deliver on these commitments.

Previously, Popson served as Director of Finance for Select Health and is considered one of our founders. Prior to coming to Select Health, she also served in several financial roles with local hospitals. During Popson’s time at Roper Hospital, she maintained cost data for regulatory reporting and coordinated audits with regulatory auditors, implemented an automated time and attendance system for on-site employees, and was responsible for supervising the payroll department.

While at East Cooper Medical Center, Popson oversaw daily data processing and accounts payable operations, managed financial reporting for the facility and three physician practices, and successfully executed a hospital construction project.

Popson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the College of Charleston.

She also serves as a member of the Charleston CFO Council and has been a member of the North Charleston Dolphin Toastmasters Club since 2013.

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Manuel Alejandro Mendizabal

Manuel "Alejandro" Mendizabal

Director of Compliance

Alejandro Mendizabal joined Select Health of South Carolina as Compliance Manager in December 2019 and was promoted to Director of Compliance, effective November 1, 2021.

In this role, he provides strategic direction and leadership for the development and implementation of compliance policy, process, and control activities; and oversight of all operating division and subsidiary compliance, privacy, and regulatory functions for Select Health and its First Choice Medicaid plan. Mendizabal leads the plan’s Compliance department, where he and his team are also responsible for the annual external quality review conducted by the Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence.

Mendizabal came to Select Health with extensive knowledge and experience in managed care, including both Medicaid and Medicare product lines, and compliance. Before joining Select Health, Mendizabal held several posts with Centene Corporation, including Appeals and Grievances Coordinator, Regional Compliance Analyst, and Compliance Manager.

He also has worked as an Ombudsman, Quality Improvement Coordinator, and Appeals Coordinator for Beacon Health Strategies, a behavioral health management organization specializing in the development and management of behavioral health services. In his role at Beacon Health Strategies, Mendizabal served a variety of customers, including integrated health care delivery systems, academic medical centers, health maintenance organizations, and state and local governments.

Mendizabal graduated with honors from the University of Toledo and holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.

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Peggy Vickery

Peggy Vickery

Director of Provider Network Management

Peggy Vickery began working as the Director of Provider Network Management in July 2001. She is responsible for statewide provider contract negotiations for the Medicaid and Medicare network and network adequacy. She is also in charge of provider education, servicing and retention.

Vickery has worked in managed care for more than 20 years. Her experience includes network development, managed care contracting, physician and hospital reimbursement, health claims management and customer service management. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Limestone College.

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