George K. Mitchell M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer (Retired)
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
George K. Mitchell knew in his youth that by becoming a doctor he could improve people’s lives. But it was by leaving the practice of medicine and joining Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield that he touched the lives of perhaps all Arkansans and brought about improvements to the health care system nationwide.
Born June 15, 1931, in Sheridan, Mitchell grew up in a close-knit family that instilled in him the values of hard work and helping others. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952 from Hendrix College, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in 1953 and his Doctor of Medicine, with honors, from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in 1956.
Mitchell was board certified in internal medicine in 1963. He served in the Arkansas National Guard from 1956 to 1963, reaching the rank of major in the medical corps and serving the last three years as a company commander in the 125th Medical Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade.
In 1961, Mitchell joined medical school classmate Dr. Sexton Lewis and former professor Dr. William Ross to form the Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic. The venture was successful; as an endocrinologist, he soon had a large patient base. In 1964, Mitchell was asked to join the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield board of directors, opening new insights to him into the larger issues of American health care.
Much to the surprise of many around him, Mitchell gave up his medical practice in 1968 to join Arkansas Blue Cross as the company’s first full-time medical director.
Mitchell’s medical knowledge came in handy for everything from interpreting insurance claims to advising other physicians about programs offered by Arkansas Blue Cross.
He was instrumental in establishing peer-review committees and was a pioneer in utilization review. In 1972, he was named vice president of Medicare and Medical Services, and on July 1, 1975, in recognition of his outstanding leadership skills, he was named the company’s president and chief executive officer.
When Mitchell stepped in as president and CEO, he became one of the first physicians to head a Blue Cross organization. Other chief executives may have had more knowledge of business and finance, but Mitchell found his training in internal medicine gave him the discipline to carefully review all the facts, to analyze situations clearly and to come up with the best solutions.
For almost 20 years, Mitchell was at the helm of Arkansas Blue Cross, guiding the company through the turbulent waters of change in the American health care system. Under Mitchell, Arkansas Blue Cross grew to become Arkansas’ largest health insurer, and a leading innovator and proponent of health care reform. The company also became a persistent voice of reason in the drive to hold down rising health care costs. During this time, the company became a model for other Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in the nation.
Mitchell’s influence in health care extended far beyond the state’s borders.
During his career, he served as a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and was appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to a national task force on organ transplantation.
In addition to his professional achievements, he made leadership contributions to many organizations close to his heart. He was named a life member of the board of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in 2000. He served on the Hendrix College board of trustees from 1981 to 1993 and was its chairman from 1986 to 1993. He was named a distinguished alumnus and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1993. Mitchell remains on the board of directors at Arkansas Blue Cross; he served as vice chair of the board from 1993-2012.
In 2015, a $1 million grant from Arkansas Blue Cross established the George K. Mitchell, M.D., Endowed Chair in Primary Care in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The chair holder will focus on innovations in primary care through the incorporation of team-based care, health promotion, health literacy and population health strategies into primary care settings. Mitchell regards this endowment as a matchless personal honor and a generational honor he wishes to share with his grandfather, Dr. Christopher A. Mitchell; his esteemed former professor and head of the Department of Medicine at UAMS, the late Dr. Richard V. Ebert; and his greatly admired friend, family physician and Arkansas Blue Cross board associate for the past 36 years, Dr. Mahlon O. Maris.
Mitchell worked energetically for the Arkansas Easter Seals Society and was named Arkansan of the Year by them in 1994.
He also gave his time and energy to the United Way of Pulaski County, the Boy Scouts of America, Junior Achievement, the Arkansas Institute, the boards of Union National Bank, Worthen Bank and Trust Company, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.
He was appointed in 1997 to the original five-member board to oversee the planning, construction and operation of the Pulaski County-financed multi-purpose Alltel (now Verizon) Arena.
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