George DeVries co-founded American Specialty Health (ASH) in 1987 with only a few thousand dollars, working from a second bedroom in his condominium. His goal was to develop non-traditional health care programs and integrate them with traditional medical benefit plans offered by Fortune 2,000 employers, insurance companies, and health plans.
Over the years, George has guided ASH's growth to become the largest specialty health plan, insurer, and network administrator nationally for complementary and alternative health care-covering over 13 million Americans. During this process, ASH achieved a variety of industry firsts, including creating the first specialty health plan for chiropractic, the first specialty health plan for acupuncture, the first national insurer for complementary and alternative medicine, and receiving the first national accreditation for a specialty complementary/alternative health insurer, network, and/or health plan organization.
After the company achieved these milestones, George personally guided the innovation process which has transformed ASH into one of the nation's leading health improvement organizations-providing a broad array of health products including health coaching, wellness, and fitness, as well as its original complementary/alternative health care programs. ASH has now grown to about $140 million in annual revenues, more than 13 million members, and almost 700 employees.
Considered an early expert in the integration of complementary and alternative health care into thirdparty reimbursement, George was appointed by President Clinton in 2000 to serve on the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. He has testified before various congressional and legislative committees and has published articles on complementary/ alternative health care and health improvement in numerous trade publications. He is also a frequent guest speaker on health care topics for various organizations.
Key honors bestowed on George include:
- America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Innovators Award in 2004
- Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year for Health Sciences in 2000
- San Diego Entrepreneur of the Year for Health Sciences in 1997
- 21st Century National Leadership Award from Impact Urban America
As an innovator in corporate health and wellness, ASH was named a Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles Gold Winner by the National Business Group on Health in 2008 and was named one of Americas 15 Fittest Companies by Men's Fitness magazine. In 2007, ASH won a Silver Fit Business award from the California Taskforce on Youth and Workplace Wellness.
George has also focused on developing an exceptional management team and work environment for his employees. In 2006, ASH was named one of the Best Places to Work in San Diego by both San Diego Magazine and the San Diego Business Journal.
George was named an Outstanding Alumnus of the University of CaliforniaSan Diego (UCSD), where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. He is also a graduate of Culver Military Academy and currently sits on its Board of Trustees.