Mr. Devendorf is a principal, worldwide partner, and health care and group benefits practice leader for the south unit in Mercer's Atlanta office. He specializes in the design, evaluation and implementation of managed health care programs. His expertise lies in the various aspects of managed care implementation and plan evaluation including activities related to HMO and PPO efficiency analysis, review of quality initiatives and results, on-site health plan assessment and employer benchmarking. Lew sees a great deal of anxiety among employers/plan sponsors and employees due to the current environment surrounding health care cost and delivery. "At the same time, the easy and obvious solutions no longer exist. There is no single right answer and combinations of solutions, tailored to individual circumstances, win the day."
Lew grew up on a cattle farm in upstate New York before moving to Darien, Connecticut where farm boys were neither understood nor appreciated. He has climbed the Teton Mountains in Wyoming, photographed bears in Glacier National Park , and watched the sunrise on top of a volcano. He has three grown daughters and one granddaughter.
Before joining Mercer, Lew was the executive director of two health plans operating in New York and Connecticut. At the same time, he served as national pre-accreditation surveyor for the company's national strategy for accreditation preparation (NCQA) visits. He also served as director of operations for a staff model HMO in Oklahoma where he was responsible for developing and implementing a Medicare Risk HMO.
Lew received a B.S. degree in economics from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and continued his education with postgraduate studies at the University of North Carolina. He team teaches Health Care Cost Management in the Certificate Series with Dr. Margaret Lemkin. Lew strives to strike a balance between lecture and discussion with the goal of helping others surpass their own expectations. He strongly believes, "If it's not fun, find something else to do!"
Participant comments taken from Lew's Instructor Evaluations:
Lew is knowledgeable and approachable. Definitely a good instructor!
Stimulating and thought provoking.
Great Speaker! Conversational style and loved that he solicited challenges to his opinions.