Health EZ | 7201 W. 78th St., Bloomington, MN 55439 | Phone: 952-896-1203 | Fax: 952-896-4880 | nazie.eftekhari@healthez.com
Nazie Eftekhari is the founder and CEO of HealthEZ, a Minneapolis-based provider of services designed to streamline health care billing and payment processes, and founder and chair of the Araz Group, which brings together doctors and other health care providers into a network to negotiate service rates with insurers and third-party administrators. Throughout her career, she has developed ways for self-insured employers to provide attractive health-benefit programs for their employees and found new ways to implement information technologies in health care. She is founder of the Foundation for the Children of Iran, where she was born. She serves on the board of visitors of the University of Minnesota Medical School and the board of overseers of the University’s Carlson School of Management.
Born: January 4, 1955, in Tehran, Iran
Children: Sahm and Raz McGlynn
Education: Master's degrees in international relations, University of Southern California, and health care administration, University of Minnesota
Career history: Chairwoman and CEO, America’s PPO, America’s TPA, HealthEZ; chairwoman and CEO, The Araz Group, 1994-2002; chairwoman and CEO, ETHIX Midwest, 1990-1994; president and director of Family Health Plan, 1985-1990; vice president of administration and provider relations, Family Health Plan, 1983-1985; planning and management consultant, Brim & Associates, 1981-1983; assistant administrator, Fairview Riverside Hospital, 1979-1981; administrative fellow, Fairview Community Hospitals, 1979-1980
Outside activities: Member of the board of visitors of the University of Minnesota Medical School; serves on the board of overseers of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management; board of trustees of The Walker Art Center; founder of the Foundation for the Children of Iran
Awards received: Nazie has received recognition for her leadership in business and service to the community. In 2004, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal named her one of the Twin Cities’ women changemakers. The Araz Group was cited by City Business as one of the region’s top 25 women-owned businesses. In 1995, Eftekhari was named Small Business Person of the Year. Among her other awards: the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights Award and the Woman of Distinction Award
Key achievements: Eftekhari has overseen a series of first-of-its-kind services, including the following: preferred provider organization (PPO) in the nation; PPO to provide customized, employer-specific provider networks; to consolidate insurance and consumer payment to providers; to show prescription claims on medical statement; to allow consumers to pay multiple unrelated providers via the credit card of their choice through a single web portal; to allow consumers to audit claims prior to payment via electronic notification; to provide employer-specific customized transactional Web sites
