BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

S.C. BlueCross Medical Director Wins National Medical Association Award

October 14, 2009

Columbia, S.C. – Dr. John M. Little, vice president of Health Care Services at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, was awarded the 2009 AAFP Robert Graham Physician Executive Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
 
Dr. Little accepted the award yesterday at the 2009 Congress of Delegates of the AAFP in Boston. The meeting is one of the largest gatherings of primary care physicians in the country.
 
The award recognizes an AAFP member whose executive skills in health care have contributed to excellence in the provision of high-quality health care and demonstrated that family physicians can have an impact on improving the overall health of the nation. In a letter to Dr. Little, AAFP President Dr. Ted Epperly stated: “You are a shining example of the best in family medicine.”
 
Dr. Little’s responsibilities with BlueCross include care management programs, medical policy development, and provider relations and education. He also oversees network management activities for BlueCross.
 
Prior to coming to BlueCross, Dr. Little had 15 years of clinical experience in family practice and academic medicine. He began his medical career as a family physician in Fort Mill, S.C., with subsequent positions at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., before joining Companion HealthCare (now BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina) in 1994.
 
Dr. Little received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clemson University, graduating with highest honors. He also graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina and received a master’s in Business Administration from Winthrop University.
 
A member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association and the South Carolina Medical Association, Dr. Little also is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. In addition to numerous academic committees and appointments, he is active in medical professional development, academic and professional research, and editing medical publications as well as presentations addressing medical issues.
 
Dr. Little and his wife live in Fort Mill, S.C., and have two children.
 
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The only South Carolina-owned and operated health insurance carrier, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and its family of companies include more than 20 subsidiaries involved in health insurance services, U.S. DoD health program and Medicare contracts, and other insurance and employee benefits services.