UpStream Healthcare, the fastest growing primary care health services organization, has appointed William S.W. Chang as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Chang joins UpStream after serving in senior roles at McKesson Corporation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
At McKesson, Chang was Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Chief Legal Counsel. He led cross-functional teams that focused on enterprise priorities in key regulatory spaces. Chang advised the wide spectrum of McKesson’s businesses, including U.S. pharmaceutical distribution, medical-supply distribution, specialty and independent-community pharmacy, physician-practice management, prescription-technology services, medication access-and-adherence programs, and electronic health records.
At HHS, Chang served as Deputy General Counsel for public health, litigation, and investigations. Chang was one of the lead attorneys supporting Operation Warp Speed, working with public and private partners to build nationwide distribution and administration solutions for COVID-19 vaccines. Chang worked closely with the Deputy Secretary, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the HHS Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Justice to reform the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law in order to facilitate value-based care.
“Protecting our most vulnerable patient populations, paying for better health outcomes, and enabling medical professionals to work at the top of their training have guided my career in healthcare,” said Chang. “Those goals are all central to UpStream’s mission—to coordinate and reward better patient outcomes, from payor to provider and everyone in between.”
At the Department of Justice, Chang led healthcare-fraud investigations of public and private companies and individuals, and his cases spanned several districts and involved multiple state and federal agencies as well as parallel civil proceedings.
Chang has been repeatedly recognized for his contributions to healthcare. In 2022, he was the National Winner of the American Pharmacists Association Friend of Pharmacy Immunization Champion Award. The award recognized Chang for his extraordinary contributions toward fully enfranchising the pharmacy workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. For his public-health service, including during the pandemic, Chang received the Assistant Secretary for Health Exceptional Service Medal. The Medal is the highest decoration awarded to a civilian by the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. For his service at the Department of Justice, Chang received numerous accolades. Among those accolades, he twice received the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service; the HHS Inspector General’s Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse; and the Commendation for Demonstrated Excellence from the FBI Director.
“We are fortunate to have Will Chang join our company that is built on the highest levels of professionalism and ethics, as we continue to create outstanding value and outcomes for patients through our partnership with physicians and their clinical networks. Will has incredible knowledge and expertise as a healthcare leader and that will benefit UpStream and the healthcare community at large,” said UpStream CEO, Dr. Sanjay Doddamani.
“I have been deeply impressed by Will for his commitment to advancing American healthcare, especially his understanding of value-based care and regulation of clinicians, including pharmacists,” said Fergus Hoban, UpStream founder. “At the core of the UpStream process is a thorough therapeutic work-up by prescribing pharmacists and coordination nurses, supported by data insights and full risk payment model; a culmination of strong clinical and financial models for Will to focus his expertise.”
UpStream Healthcare’s unique model offers support to practices of any size or historic experience who do not have the resources or ability to take the heavy financial risks currently associated with value-based models. Participating providers receive Guaranteed Advanced Payments for Quality or GAP-Q™ as financial incentives on a schedule basis for their quality performance, taking out guess work in an otherwise unpredictable environment.
