CareSource Georgia has named Dr. Tamika Lasege as chief medical officer, effective June 17, 2026. The appointment signals the nonprofit managed care organization's commitment to strengthening clinical oversight at a time when Medicaid managed care plans face intensifying pressure to demonstrate clinical quality and operational efficiency across complex membership rolls. Lasege will oversee clinical strategy and lead collaborative efforts with healthcare providers and community organizations to develop initiatives focused on maternal and infant health, behavioral health and chronic disease management.
David Donohue, president of CareSource Georgia, said the selection reflects confidence in Lasege's ability to elevate clinical performance. "Her clinical background and experience in healthcare operations will be instrumental as we work to improve health outcomes for families throughout Georgia," Donohue stated in the announcement. No search firm involvement was disclosed. The appointment comes as CareSource Georgia serves approximately 430,000 members across Medicaid, Medicare and Marketplace plans, positioning the organization as a major healthcare intermediary in the state's insurance landscape.
Lasege brings more than two decades of direct healthcare experience spanning clinical practice and managed care leadership. She holds board certifications in neonatal-perinatal medicine, neonatology and pediatrics and previously practiced as a neonatologist and pediatrician at Level III neonatal intensive care units in Texas. She completed her pediatric residency and neonatal fellowship at the University of Louisville before transitioning into healthcare administration. Most recently, she served as Georgia market medical executive at Cigna, where she led medical strategy planning. Prior to that role, she held the position of chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare's Georgia operations, a tenure that encompassed oversight of Medicaid clinical affairs. Earlier in her career, she worked as a medical director for managed care organizations and, more recently, as a clinician-executive hybrid role at Children's Minnesota, where she served as medical director for the Children's Health Network, a pediatric clinically integrated network. Lasege holds a Master of Health Care Administration from the University of Cincinnati, a medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a bachelor's degree in biology from Yale University. She currently serves on several nonprofit boards, including Families First Georgia.
CareSource Georgia operates as a subsidiary of CareSource, a nationally recognized nonprofit managed care organization founded in 1989 and serving over 2 million members across ten states. The parent organization administers one of the largest Medicaid managed care plans in the United States and has positioned itself as an innovator in addressing social determinants of health. In Georgia specifically, CareSource provides comprehensive coverage through Medicaid, Medicare and Marketplace products, with regional headquarters in Atlanta. The organization has invested in value-based care models and community partnerships, recently announcing a $100,000 grant to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in rural Georgia, an area facing documented disparities, with maternal mortality rates in rural regions running as much as 2.5 times higher than urban areas.
Lasege's appointment reflects a broader healthcare sector trend toward recruiting medical leaders with dual expertise in clinical delivery and managed care operations. Her background combining neonatology, Medicaid experience and prior roles leading medical strategy at competitors suggests CareSource may be intensifying focus on high-acuity populations, particularly maternal-infant health, a focus area explicitly mentioned in her mandate. The timing of the hire, following significant investment in rural health initiatives and community-based care coordination programs, implies the organization may be positioning to strengthen clinical credibility with state regulators and providers while managing cost pressures inherent in Medicaid coverage. Her prior work at large national insurers positions her to implement sophisticated utilization management and clinical integration strategies, tools increasingly important as state Medicaid programs navigate complex network adequacy and quality metrics.
