Veteran Health Care CEO Barry Smith Joins Health Evolution Partners As Operating Partner

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Health Evolution Partners (HEP), a health care buyout firm, announced today that Barry Smith has joined the firm as Operating Partner. Mr. Smith is a veteran health care CEO with experience founding and leading health care companies, including hospice and pharmacy benefits management. Mr. Smith will join other operating partners and investment professionals to help the firm’s portfolio companies achieve commercial success.

“His deep experience founding and leading major health care companies will be invaluable in helping our portfolio CEOs build great and durable companies.”

“Barry is a stellar CEO who will deepen our operating experience and expand our business savvy,” said David J. Brailer, MD, PhD, CEO of Health Evolution Partners. “His deep experience founding and leading major health care companies will be invaluable in helping our portfolio CEOs build great and durable companies.”

“I’m thrilled to join Health Evolution Partners as it builds world class operating capabilities,” said Mr. Smith. “This is a time of enormous opportunity for strong health care companies, and I look forward to working with our CEOs to build top tier companies.”

Mr. Smith founded and served as Chairman, President and CEO of VistaCare, Inc., a national provider of hospice services, from 1996 to 2003. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and CEO of Value Rx, Inc., then one of the country’s largest pharmacy benefit management companies. Before that, he served as Vice President of Operations for PCS Health Systems, also a pharmacy benefits management firm. He currently serves as a director of Magellan Health Services, and has served on several for-profit company boards as well as several charitable boards. He is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bon Travay, S.A., a charitable organization dedicated to healthcare and educational efforts in developing countries. Mr. Smith received a B.A. in finance from the University of Utah.

About Health Evolution Partners

Health Evolution Partners buys and operates rapidly growing companies that are commercial leaders in the health care industry. We invest around the globe and across the health economy, including services, information technology and life sciences. We form close working partnerships with outstanding management teams and connect our companies to our network of CEOs, policy makers and thought leaders. For more information on Health Evolution Partners, visit www.healthevolutionpartners.com.