Kaha Hizanishvili, MBA, MALD

Associate Executive Vice Chancellor, Market Growth and Transformation • UMass Chan Medical School

As part of ForHealth Consulting’s executive leadership team, Kaha Hizanishvili drives product development and determines opportunities for growth. He leads the identification of environmental trends and attendant opportunities to build or extend ForHealth Consulting’s solutions to overcome complex healthcare challenges.

Kaha previously served as the chief of provider and pharmacy programs for MassHealth at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. As a member of the MassHealth executive team, he managed one of the four MassHealth program offices comprising Pharmacy, Fee-for-Service Providers, and Health Safety Net programs. During his time at MassHealth, Kaha served in several other roles, including director of strategy and pharmacy purchasing and director of strategy and special projects.

Kaha has led MassHealth several strategic initiatives, including managing pharmacy rebate negotiations with drug manufacturers savings MassHealth hundreds of millions while maintaining and expanding member access to necessary medications; restructuring Community Health Center (CHC) rates to invest over $100 million annually to increase reimbursements for primary care, behavioral health, and dental services at CHCs.

Prior to MassHealth, Kaha was the head of private equity/head of debt capital markets for the Bank of Georgia Group PLC in Tbilisi, Georgia. He also worked at McKinsey & Company in Washington, DC.

Kaha is passionate about talent development and invests significant time in mentoring and developing team member capabilities. After having lived in various places across nine time zones, Kaha found his home in Massachusetts where he lives with his wife and daughter. He loves hiking, traveling, reading historical nonfiction and listening to the Boston accent, even if he can’t speak with it yet.

Kaha earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he participated as an Edmund S. Muskie fellow in a professional development program funded by the U.S. Department of State.