William L. Jews, the former president and CEO of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, has joined the board of advisers of software development company Healthcare Interactive.

He will help with business decisions and development in his new role. Clients of Healthcare Interactive include the United Way, The Men's Wearhouse and the Washington Wizards and Capitals.

As president of CareFirst Jews sparked controversy with his attempt to convert CareFirst to a for-profit entity and sell it to a California company. The proposed deal to sell CareFirst to WellPoint Health Networks Inc. for $1.37 billion would have included $39 million in potential bonuses for Jews, sparking sharp criticism of the insurer's executive pay and leading to the collapse of the deal in 2003.

Before that, Jews had been widely credited with turning around CareFirst's finances after being recruited by what was previously known as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maryland in 1993.