GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 23, 2026--
After a nationwide search, Priority Health, a Michigan-based, nationally recognized nonprofit health plan serving 1.4 million members, has named Brian Steele, D.O., as senior vice president and chief medical officer. He will join Priority Health on April 6, 2026.
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Dr. Steele will lead Priority Health’s clinical and pharmacy programs, the development and coordination of population health programs and chronic disease management strategies. His unique experience of successfully partnering with care providers will help further Priority Health’s mission of improving health, enhancing the member experience and enabling access to affordable, high-quality health care.
Dr. Steele is a senior health care executive and business strategist with a record of leading clinical transformation, advancing value-based care and delivering measurable improvements in quality, affordability and member experience across payer and provider operations.
He most recently served as chief medical officer for Collaborative Health Systems, a Centene Corporation, where he led clinical strategy, quality and network initiatives, medical management and provider engagement across multiple markets.
“Brian brings a unique blend of clinical depth, payer expertise and data-driven innovation that will accelerate our strategy and amplify our impact for our members, providers and the communities we serve,” said Nick Gates, president of Priority Health. “His track record in quality, affordability and operational excellence makes him an outstanding leader for the next stage of our growth.”
Dr. Steele received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Allegheny College and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Priority Health’s mission and vision to make health affordable and accessible resonate deeply with me,” said Steele. “I look forward to partnering with our teams and providers to expand high-performing programs, advance population health and deliver improved outcomes that reduce the cost of care.”
About Priority Health:
Our members are at the heart of everything we do. With 40 years in business, Priority Health is the second-largest health plan in Michigan and the third-largest provider-sponsored health plan in the nation, offering an extensive portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving 1.4 million members in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin, Priority Health offers a broad network of primary care physicians and continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Learn more about affordable, quality health coverage options from Priority Health. Visit the Priority Health newsroom for the latest news.
Brian Steele, D.O.
MONTREAL (AP) — After receiving their first wake-up call of the playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes have responded like the beasts of the East they have been all season.
Following a loss to open the Eastern Conference Final, the Hurricanes have won back-to-back games in overtime to take a 2-1 lead against Montreal in the best-of-seven series. They look like their old selves again, and it has them two games from reaching to the Stanley Cup Final.
“We’re feeling good about playing hockey again,” said winger Taylor Hall, who scored his fourth goal this postseason in Game 3 on Monday night. “Now the game is starting to slow down, and you’re making reads without even having to think about it.”
That spells trouble for the Canadiens, who registered just two shots on goal combined over the third period and OT. Carolina has outshot Montreal 64-26 over the past two games.
“They throw a lot to the net, so they’re going to outshoot you,” said Montreal's Cole Caufield, who scored 51 goals during the regular season. “I think everybody that plays them knows that, and you can’t look at it that way — that they kind of tilt the ice that much.”
Shot volume is something the Hurricanes have done consistently in the eight years since coach Rod Brind'Amour took over. What has changed in this series is preventing the young, skilled Canadiens from generating offense.
“You need everything working against a team like that,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “I don’t think you can just rely on the power play.”
Caufield chalked up his team's struggles to Carolina's pace and aggressive play. That the brand of hockey Brind'Amour wants to play.
“It’s putting the stress on them,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. “It’s a hard system for us to play sometimes because you’ve got to be on your toes. You’re always skating. But you can see it’s pretty effective, and it’s probably not the best to play against.”
It did not look at all right in Game 1 last week, which the Canadiens won 6-2 after getting off to a hot start, finding long breakout passes and staying patient in solving Carolina's relentless forecheck to hand the Hurricanes their first loss of the playoffs.
“It’s definitely a turning point for us: a little adversity,” Gostisbehere said. “Having two sweeps the first two rounds — not a lot of adversity in that sense. For us, it was a good kick in the teeth.”
The Hurricanes are now as close to the final as they've been during this run of success under Brind'Amour, which included getting swept twice and losing in five games in their three previous trips to the East final. This spring, they are 5-0 on the road and 5-0 in overtime thanks to a consistent approach.
“We try to play our game home and away,” first-line center Sebastian Aho said. “The game’s the same, I feel like. Obviously the environment is a little bit different, whether you’re home or away. But I feel like the game stays the same.”
Game 4 at Bell Centre in Montreal on Wednesday night is Carolina's first chance to move to the verge of making the final. The Canadiens feel like they have another level to get to, and they need to find it quickly.
"We didn’t expect this to be easy, and we’re OK with that," St. Louis said. “There’s not one thing. We have to put it all together. You’re at this stage right now, you have to put it all together. Execution’s part of that. Jam is part of that. There’s not one thing. We’ve just got to put it all together, and I know we can.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) and Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrate in front of Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) after the winning goal by Aho in overtime of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov celebrates his goal with teammates after an overtime period of Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference final Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, in Montreal, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP) CORRECTION: Corrected the scorer to Andrei Svechnikov
Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) reacts after the teammate Andrei Svechnikov scored on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) as teammate Juraj Slafkovsky (20) looks on during an overtime period of Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference final Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Monday, May 25, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP) CORRECTION: Corrected the scorer to Andrei Svechnikov
