Fidelis Care, the New York State Catholic Health Plan, announced the death of Mark L. Lane, president and CEO, who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, July 22, following a brief illness. He was 60.

An experienced and innovative health care executive, Lane oversaw the development of Fidelis Care from its earliest days under the auspices of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens in 1993. In 1996, he joined Fidelis Care on a full-time basis to lead the company’s expansion from its initial service area of 14 zip codes in Brooklyn to 59 of New York State’s 62 counties.

Today, Fidelis Care is the largest government-programs based health plan in the state, serving more than 780,000 members through an extensive network of over 51,000 providers. Fidelis Care is also a major employer in the state, with more than 1,600 employees based out of four regional and three satellite offices.

Under Lane’s leadership, Fidelis Care experienced rapid and sustained growth in membership, the addition and expansion of new programs and services, and success in the provision of quality care, which he considered to be a hallmark of Fidelis Care’s mission to serve and care for those most in need, with the highest levels of compassion, dignity, and respect: a tenet of the Catholic health care ministry.

Prior to joining Fidelis Care, Lane served as Chief Operating Officer of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens, Inc., which subsequently merged into St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers. He was also the chief operating officer at St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany, the largest acute care community hospital in northeastern New York.

Lane served as vice president of ambulatory services at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a leading academic health center in New Brunswick, N.J.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Alfred University and masters’ degrees in business administration and public health from Columbia University.