Mark Barnard Biography

Mark Barnard joined Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield in July 2006. In his role as CIO, Barnard is responsible for leading the introduction and use of information and telecommunication technology for Horizon BCBSNJ. Prior to joining Horizon, he was CEO of NASCO, a system and services company that provides a total solution approach to health care benefits processing for BlueCross® and BlueShield® Plans nationwide. Barnard joined NASCO as CIO in 2000, and was promoted to CEO in 2004. During his tenure at NASCO, the company’s revenue increased 54 percent. Barnard's unwavering customer commitment and dedication to superior products and pricing were hallmarks of his leadership. Prior to joining NASCO, Barnard spent 16 years with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in various health information systems leadership roles, and was responsible for overseeing EDS operations for various Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® plans. Prior to his term at EDS, he spent four years with Medstat, a healthcare information and consulting company, where he served as vice president, client services, and vice president, product development. Barnard holds a B.S. in mathematics from Michigan State University.