Dr. Tom Weigel Joins Blue Cross as Senior Medical Director
We are pleased to announce Dr. Tom Weigel has joined our staff as the new Senior Medical Director, bringing his deep understanding of the mental health challenges facing Vermonters of all ages and the opportunities for improving care.
Berlin, Vermont — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont welcomes Dr. Tom Weigel as our new Senior Medical Director. With training as a child psychiatrist, Dr. Weigel has a deep understanding of the mental health challenges facing Vermonters of all ages, and the opportunities for improving care.
“During the pandemic people are feeling pushed to the brink of what they know and what they feel they can handle. Mental health wellness and care are crucial supports to help people to process those pressures, and to build strategies to navigate a way forward,” said Dr. Josh Plavin, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross and a practicing physician of Pediatric Internal Medicine. “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Weigel and his broad expertise to our team as we strive constantly to drive quality in health care toward a more inclusive and accessible system for Vermonters and support both collaboration and integration of medical and mental health care.”
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Dr. Weigel received his training in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and child psychiatry at Children’s Hospital, Boston, both through Harvard Medical School.
“When I was in the eighth grade, a friend took his own life. This experience later drove me to access the tools to support individuals in crisis, as well as the families that endure profound loss,” Dr. Weigel said. “My path was reinforced throughout my various rotations in medical school. I found that often my time with patients was far too brief—a constant revolving door of appointments. By pursuing psychiatry, I was able to get to know and support people over many years, which I found incredibly fulfilling.”
While working in clinical practice and hospital leadership for 15 years, he consistently sought out ways to improve upon conventional methods by embracing new technologies that made critical differences in patient care. “By allowing us to do things better and more efficiently, technology saves time and affords us more ways to connect with our patients,” Weigel said.
Given his interest in health care technology and a growing list of projects to manage, Dr. Weigel pursued a Master’s in Business Administration from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, with a focus on data-driven methods to direct change across an organization and industry. “The formal business training enabled me to get projects across the finish line and to lead with more impact,” Dr. Weigel said.
One element of his new position that Dr. Weigel looks forward to is working with Vermont Collaborative Care, the provider-payer partnership between Blue Cross and the Brattleboro Retreat. “The potential for collaboration, growth and new relationships is exciting for me,” he said.
“I am eager to get started and committed to improving the health and wellness of Vermonters.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is Vermont’s only local, not-for-profit health plan. For over 30 years, the company has been enhancing the health and well-being of the Vermonters we serve by offering innovative plans to individuals, older Vermonters, and businesses. Our employees are dedicated to developing new ways to support high-quality care, programs, and events that promote wellness. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
