Here is a list of 65 women to know in the ASC industry.
Margaret Acker, RN, MSN, CASC — Ms. Acker is CEO of Blake Woods Medical Park, a multi-specialty surgery center in Jackson, Mich., that focuses on general ophthalmology, retina, orthopedics and general surgery. She has more than 20 years of healthcare experience and has served as a staff nurse, nursing supervisor and nursing director. Ms. Acker holds a master's in nursing from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. She is active in her community and serves as a board member at St. Luke's Clinic, a free clinic for the underserved in Jackson.
Rhonda Arnwine, MBA — Ms. Arnwine is the business development manager for Dallas-based National Surgical Care. She previously served as the manager of organizational development for United Surgical Partners International. Ms. Arnwine has held several other positions in organizational development and human resources throughout her career. She received an MBA from Texas A&M University and currently is an adjunct instructor for the university. She also serves as the current program chair for the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society and is a member of the ASC Quality Collaboration Expert Group.
Lisa Austin, RN, CASC — Ms. Austin is vice president of ASC operations for Pinnacle III and has been an RN for more than 27 years, working in ambulatory care for many of those years. She has extensive ASC operational, development, management and consulting experience and has expertise in facility administration, budget development, regulatory compliance, staff recruitment and retention, policy and procedure development, equipment procurement and implementation and organizational interfacing. Ms. Austin is a board member of the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association and is currently chairing the committee on emergency preparedness for ASCs in Colorado.
Glenda Beasley, RN — Ms. Beasley is the administrative director of the Kentucky Surgery Center in Lexington, Ky., which specializes in ENT, orthopedics, gynecology, plastics, podiatry, oral surgery, endoscopy, pain management, urology and general surgery. Ms. Beasley has been with the center since July 1990, and began her career in outpatient surgery as a circulating OR nurse, eventually becoming an administrator. Ms. Beasley has also worked in many hospital departments throughout her career, including oncology, medical surgical and emergency.
Regina Boore, RN, BSN, MS — Ms. Boore is the principal and CEO of Progressive Surgical Solutions. Ms. Boore has more than 25 years of clinical, administrative, teaching and consulting experience in ambulatory surgery. Ms. Boore previously worked as a perioperative nurse, an OR supervisor and as a clinical coordinator for surgical technology and perioperative nurse training programs in California. She received her bachelor's in nursing from California State University at Long Beach and holds a master's degree in human resource management and development from Chapman College in Orange, Calif.
Carol Blanar, RN, BSN, CNOR — Ms. Blanar is the administrator of the Sagamore Surgical Medical Complex in Lafayette, Ind., and former director of nursing at the Sagamore Surgery Center. She serves as executive director of the Indiana Federation for Ambulatory Surgical Centers and previously served as IFASC's president for seven years. Ms. Blanar is also a governor-appointed voting member of the nine-member Indiana Hospital Council, where she represents the ASC industry.
Kathy Bryant, JD — Kathy Bryant is the president of the ASC Association and in this role leads the activities of the nation's largest ASC membership association. Ms. Bryant also serves as president of the ASF Foundation. Ms. Bryant oversaw the development and implementation of the first ASC-specific credential, CASC (Certified Administrator Surgery Center). Before accepting her current position with the ASC Association, Ms. Bryant led FASA, one of the two organizations that came together to form the ASC Association in 2008. She previously headed the government relations program of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and worked for the American Medical Association and the Iowa State Senate.
Betty Bozzuto, RN, MBA, CASC — Ms. Bozzuto is executive director of Naugatuck Valley Surgical Center in Waterbury, Conn., and former president and a founding member of the Connecticut Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers. She is a former board member of FASA. Ms. Bozzuto is also a surveyor for AAAHC and president of Connecticut's Ambulatory Surgery Center Patient Safety Organization. Ms. Bozzuto holds an MBA from the University of New Haven.
Susan Charkin — Ms. Charkin is president of Healthcents, an ASC and physician-specialty hospital contracting and consulting group. She has 15 years of experience in senior contracting positions with Health Net, Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Washington, D.C., Aetna and MaxiCare. Ms. Charkin is also an author and national speaker on managed care contracting issues and has been published in several journals. She received a master's in public health administration from the University of San Francisco and is a trustee at Navidad Medical Center in Salinas, Ca.
Marilyn Christian, RN, BSN, CNOR, CASC — Marilyn Christian is president and COO of Advantage Surgical Partners and has been in the ASC industry for more than 20 years. Ms. Christian previously served six years as vice president of clinical operations and regulatory compliance for a leading ASC company. This followed four years as administrator and director of nursing for a multi-specialty ASC. Ms. Christian's responsibilities in these positions have included all phases of startup, development, perioperative services, business office procedures, budgeting, contracting, quality assurance, benchmarking, plant operations, regulatory compliance, national accreditation, personnel management and vendor relationships.
Monica Cintado, MBA —Ms. Cintado is the senior vice president of development for United Surgical Partners International, and she has been with USPI since 1998. Prior to joining USPI, Ms. Cintado provided development and operations support for the international group at HCA. While with HCA, she assisted in the acquisition of Instituto Dexeus in Barcelona, Spain which later became the first facility acquisition by USPI in 1998. Preceding her joining HCA, Ms. Cintado completed an administrative internship with HealthTrust, which subsequently led her to an assistant administrator role at Nashville Memorial Hospital. Ms. Cintado received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and an MBA at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
Rebecca Craig, RN — Ms. Craig is the CEO and administrator of Harmony Surgery Center in Fort Collins, Colo. Her experience includes more than 10 years in hospital, health system and ASC care in both the clinical and administrative sides. She joined Harmony Surgery Center as clinical director in 2000, moving to administrator in 2001. She currently serves as a member of the Joint Commission Ambulatory Surgery Advisory Council, which provides ambulatory care and office-based surgery professionals with opportunities to offer advice and insight about the accreditation process. Ms. Craig also served as the president of the Colorado ASC Association for three years.
Rebecca Dean, MA, FACMPE — Ms. Dean is the executive director of Sportsmedicine Fairbanks (Ala.) and is the owner of Management Solutions, where she serves as a healthcare consultant. Ms. Dean has more than 20 years of experience in senior healthcare management and previously served as CEO for Alaska's largest multi-specialty clinic. Ms. Dean holds the distinction of being the first Alaskan to attain Fellow status from the American College of Medical Practice Executives and currently serves as chair for the American College of Medical Practice Executives board of directors. She is past president of the MGMA Ambulatory Surgery Management Society, past chair of the western section of MGMA and past president of Alaska MGMA. Ms. Dean currently serves on boards for national business industries and often works as a consultant for a national ASC development firm.
Joyce Deno, RN — Joyce Deno is the COO, eastern region, for Regent Surgical Health. Ms. Deno has been working in the healthcare industry for 32 years. Before joining Regent, she provided private consulting for a turnaround ASC and for a center seeking accreditation. She also developed, opened and served as the executive director of Loveland Surgery Center in Colorado and previously worked for HealthSouth as a regional director of quality improvement and as an administrator. She received a bachelor's from Bethel College of Nursing in Mishawaka, Ind.
Joan Dentler, MBA — Ms. Dentler currently serves as a consultant for ASC Strategies and has 15 years of experience consulting for, developing and operating successful ASCs. Ms. Dentler has worked for more than 25 years in healthcare administration, serving as the hospital liaison for hospital/physician joint-venture surgery centers and as an administrator of both women's health and pediatric primary care facilities. She holds an MBA from the University of Texas.
Adena Dorsey — Ms. Dorsey is the director of patient accounts for National Medical Billing Services and has extensive business management experience and a thorough knowledge of billing and coding principles for ASC claims adjudication. She is a certified professional coder and holds a bachelor's in corporate communication from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
Barbara P. Draves, CASC — Ms. Draves is an owner and the administrator of The Surgery Center in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. She has opened and run surgery centers for more than 20 years and was a valued administrator and regional director for Medical Care International in the 1980s and 1990s. She previously served as an operations coordinator for three surgery centers and has held several senior positions including president and chairwoman of the Ohio Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers. She also serves as a board member for the ASC Associations' Board of Ambulatory Surgery Certification.
Stephanie Ellis, RN, CPC — Ms. Ellis is the president of Ellis Medical Consulting, founded in 1992. EMC is a healthcare consulting firm providing chart audits for coding and documentation issues, business office operational assessments, research of coverage issues, litigation support, reimbursement research, ASC and physician coding and billing training and the development and implementation of billing compliance programs for healthcare providers. Ms. Ellis has worked with most specialties, assisting ASCs, physician practices, acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals, IDTFs and outpatient clinics around the country in her consulting work. She previously served as a fraud investigator for the Medicaid program in Tennessee.
Judith English — Ms. English is vice president of business operations and partner in Surgery Consultants of America and Serbin Surgery Center Billing. She has more than 35 years experience in the healthcare industry and has assisted in the development and management of multiple ASCs. She is the co-author of several articles and columns in industry publications and has been a featured speaker at many national ASC association meetings and seminars. Ms. English is experienced in ASC and medical practice coding, healthcare billing and collections, compliance, HIPAA, credentialing and healthcare billing, and is the collaborative author of ASC policy and procedure manuals.
Gayle Evans, RN, BSN, MBA, CNOR, CASC — Ms. Evans is president of Continuum Healthcare Consultants, a firm that specializes in the planning, development and operation of ASCs. With more than 25 years of multi-specialty surgery experience, Ms. Evans is a seasoned professional with management and operations experience at several leading medical facilities, including a 12-room surgery department, mobile lithotripsy services and the first U.S. research unit for biliary lithotripsy. Her background includes management of surgery department operations at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., and clinical coordinator for the Stone Treatment Center at Crawford Long Hospital of Emory University where she developed and managed the research program for biliary lithotripsy including inpatient and outpatient protocols. She also served as a clinical specialist for the Stone Center at HCA Coliseum Medical Centers, where she developed policies and procedures for the first HCA mobile lithotripter.
Melodie Garrobo, CASC — Ms. Garrobo is the administrator of Golden (Colo.) Ridge Surgery Center and has led the center in its transition from a proprietary ownership model to a joint venture with a local hospital and in several successful process management initiatives. Ms. Garrobo has been an ASC manager for 15 years, seven of which have been spent as an administrator. Ms. Garrobo also sits on the board for the Colorado Ambulatory Surgery Center Association and was instrumental in its development as one of the leading state associations representing the ASC industry.
Ann Geier, RN, MS, CNOR, CASC —Ms. Geier is the vice president of operations for Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America. She has worked in ASCs for more than 25 years. Ms. Geier is currently involved on a national level with the Ambulatory Surgery Foundation, AORN and the ASC Quality Collaboration Expert Group in setting standards for quality of care strategies. She teaches in the AORN Ambulatory Surgery Manager's Certificate Program twice a year and teaches the annual financial management for Ambulatory Surgery Managers course. Ms. Geier is also on the AORN PNDS Data User Base task force, is a surveyor for AAAHC and speaks at national and regional meetings several times a year.
Mary Ann Gellenbeck, RN, CASC, CNOR — Ms. Gellenbeck is the COO of Prexus Health and is responsible for operations and quality of care for the company. She holds degrees in surgical technology, nursing and healthcare administration and has more than 28 years of experience in the surgical arena. Ms. Gellenbeck is a member of several associations including the ASC Association and AORN and is an advisory board member for Cincinnati State College.
Cindy Hall, RN, BSN, CGRN, LCHRM — Ms. Hall is the administrator of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Center for Endoscopy and has been in the position for more than 10 years. Prior to her position at Jacksonville Center for Endoscopy, Ms. Hall held several nursing positions, including staff nurse at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville and Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville and head nurse at Digestive Disease Associates, also in Jacksonville.
Holly Hampe, RN, BSN, MPH — Ms. Hampe is director of quality and safety for Amerinet. In this position, she is responsible for developing and coordinating company-wide strategy and programs on clinical quality improvement, patient safety and environmentally-friendly initiatives, including contracting strategies. Ms. Hampe's diverse career in healthcare spans more than 25 years and encompasses hospital administration positions in quality, risk management, patient safety, regulatory affairs and nursing. Ms. Hampe is currently a doctoral candidate at Robert Morris University. Her educational background includes a master's degree in health administration from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, a master's degree in risk management from Finch University of the Chicago Medical School and a bachelor's degree in nursing from Penn State University.
Barbara Ann Harmer, RN, BSN, MHA — Ms. Harmer is a senior consultant for Healthcare Consultants International, the for-profit subsidiary of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare. She is responsible for providing national and international consulting services for organizations seeking or maintaining compliance with national accreditation standards and other services such as office-based surgery development, assistance with policy and procedure formation, licensure and Medicare certification preparation. Ms. Harmer has worked in healthcare for more than 30 years and has been involved in ASC development since the late 1970s. Before joining Healthcare Consultants International, she was a director of surgical services for Florida Hospital in Orlando and East Pasco Medical Center in Zephyrhills, Fla., and executive director of Surgical Services for Kennedy Health System in Cherry Hill, N.J. She has also worked as administrative director, administrator and nursing director at surgery centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Virginia, Texas and Massachusetts.
Lisa Harrington — Ms. Harrington is the principal and CEO of Langston Healthcare Services and has more than 20 years of experience in the ASC industry. Prior to acquiring Langston 1996, she served as administrator of an ASC in San Diego, which achieved successful AAAHC accreditation and Medicare re-certification under her direction. Since then, she has assisted many other facilities with state licensing, Medicare certification and accreditation by the AAAHC, the Joint Commission, California's Institute for Medical Quality and the AAAASF. Ms. Harrington is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and started her career in the healthcare industry at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She is a member of the California Ambulatory Surgery Association and has presented at several national conferences on licensing, certification and accreditation survey preparation.
Sue Hayes —Ms. Hayes is the CEO for Colorado Orthopaedic & Surgical Hospital in Denver. Ms. Hayes has worked in the healthcare industry for more than 20 years, beginning as a case manager for the Triumph Over Pain Program at the Rehabilitation Hospital in Colorado Springs. In 1994, Ms. Hayes co-founded Pike Peak Pain Professionals, where she served as president and CEO, guiding it through the initial stages to becoming a viable program. Ms. Hayes then served as the administrator for Dry Creek Surgery Center in Englewood, Colo., and then as administrator at Rocky Mountain Surgery Center, also in Englewood, where she managed the construction, development and operations of the center.
Liliana Lehmann, MBA — Ms. Lehmann is the administrator of the Hallandale Outpatient Surgical Center in Hallandale Beach, Fla., and has served as the administrator since 2003. Ms. Lehmann holds an MBA from Emory University and a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Tulane University. During her 19 years of experience in the healthcare market, she has held several management and executive positions with Axis Management & Billing Services, Pain Consultants of Florida, Mallinckrodt, Nellcor Puritan Bennett and SpaceLabs Medical.
Ellen Johnson — Ms. Johnson is vice president and COO of Facility Development and Management and has more than 20 years experience within the healthcare arena. She has held management positions within a physician management firm and in various departments of a 370-bed suburban regional medical center. She also served as nursing director for a home care agency and a staff nurse in a medical surgical unit and newborn nursery of a community hospital. Prior to joining FDM, Ms. Johnson was director of clinical services and executive director of an emerging group purchasing organization for a physician management company.
Milla Jones — Ms. Jones serves as vice president of communications and government relations for United Surgical Partners International. Ms. Jones has 35 years of healthcare experience, most recently with Baylor Health Care System in Dallas. Her responsibilities include coordinating and managing state and federal advocacy efforts for USPI and its partners and the development of a communication plan that will tell the "USPI story" to the community and USPI employees.
Sandra Jones, CASC, LHRM, CHCQM, FHFMA — Ms. Jones is principal and director of management services for Woodrum/ASD and owner and president of Ambulatory Strategies. Ms. Jones has 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry and has overseen or contributed to the successful establishment and development of more than 75 ASCs nationwide. Ms. Jones has also served as president and COO of ASC consulting firms, administrator of freestanding ASCs, regional risk manager and managed care director for a surgery center corporation and president and vice president of acute care hospitals. She serves on the board of the ASC Association, is an accreditation surveyor with the AAAHC and legislative liaison and past president of the surgery center group of the Medical Group Management Association.
I. Naya Kehayes, MPH — Ms. Kehayes is the founder and CEO of EVEIA Health Consulting & Management. She is a nationally recognized expert in the area of reimbursement and managed care and insurance contract negotiations for ASCs and surgical practices. Ms. Kehayes is equally proficient in ASC operations and financial management and serves as a financial advisor to several national ASC corporations. Prior to founding EVEIA, Ms. Kehayes was a regional director of National Surgery Centers and maintained administrative responsibility for Seattle Surgery Center and Laser Northwest. She coordinated a corporate managed care resource team nationwide for more than 40 ASCs and was responsible for orthopedic development in the Northwest. Prior to that, Ms. Kehayes was a surgical hospital administrator for Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation and held a variety of administrative service positions at hospital and healthcare ancillary service affiliates of Harvard University, Yale University and the University of Rochester.
Beverly Kirchner, RN, BSN, CNOR, CASC — Ms. Kirchner serves on the AORN board of directors, has authored many AORN manuals and leads research in collaboration with the organization on violence in the nursing workplace. She serves on a Joint Commission task force charged with rewriting ASC standards and has been named to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Collaboration. As the owner and CEO of Genesee Associates, Ms. Kirchner has been involved in design, development and management of ASCs since 1985.
Susan Kizirian, RN — Ms. Kizirian is the COO for Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America and has more than 17 years of experience in all aspects of ASC operations, serving as executive director and as a consultant for ASC management and development. Most recently, she worked with the University of Virginia Health System ASC program. Ms. Kizirian currently serves as lifetime past president emeritus on the board of directors of the Florida Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and is past treasurer of the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and past president of the Ambulatory Surgery Management Society of the Medical Group Management Association.
Catherine W. Kowalski — Ms. Kowalski is the executive vice president and COO for Meridian Surgical Partners. Ms. Kowalski has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Ms. Kowalski is the former executive vice president of operations and co-founder of Surgical Alliance Corporation, a specialty surgical hospital company founded in 2001. Before Surgical Alliance, Ms. Kowalski served as a co-founder and vice president, operations and hospital/ancillary services, of OrthoExcel, a hospital management company focused on contractual management of orthopedic hospital business lines. Ms. Kowalski has also served as vice president, operations of MedCenter Management Services, a healthcare management organization specializing in the development and management of orthopedic centers of excellence.
Beth LaBouyer, RN, BSN, CNOR — Ms. LaBouyer is the executive director of the California Ambulatory Surgery Association and has been a board member of CASA since 2000. Ms. LaBouyer previously served as director of Feather River Surgery Center in Yuba City, Calif., and as a surgical nurse and manager at Rideout Hospital in Marysville, Calif.
Julie Lineberger, FACMPE — Ms. Lineberger is the administrator of Idaho Urologic Institute and the Surgery Center of Idaho. She has focused on medical group practice administration, surgery center administration, consulting and construction project management and has been responsible for the initial Medicare certification and AAAHC accreditation for an orthopedic surgery center, pain management center and urologic surgery center. She is a certified healthcare executive and a Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. Ms. Lineberger has been a member of the Medical Group Management Association since 1996 and has served on the honors selection committee, the leadership development committee and survey operations committee. She is the ACPME college forum representative for the ASC Assembly and is a past-president for the Idaho Medical Group Management Association.
Debbie Mack, RN, MSN, CNOR, CASC — Ms. Mack is vice president of operations for National Surgical Hospitals and president of the California Ambulatory Surgery Association. She has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry and worked as an OR nurse, with experience in all surgical specialties. During the course of her career, she has been responsible for many operating room duties including serving as director of surgical services and staff development coordinator in an acute care hospital. Ms. Mack has also served on the CASA board of directors since 2003.
Deann Manchester — Ms. Manchester is vice president of development for United Surgical Partners International. Before this role, she served in various other roles at USPI, including director of financial modeling and analysis, where she performed valuations and due diligence for many of USPI's acquisitions and hospital joint-venture de novo projects. She is also the financial operations principal and a licensed registered representative of USP Securities, the broker dealer entity for USPI. Before joining USPI, Ms. Manchester was employed by Columbia/HCA, where she served in various capacities.
Sarah Martin, RN, BS — Ms. Martin is regional vice president of operations for Meridian Surgical Partners. She has close to 30 years of healthcare experience, focusing in the ambulatory surgery area for the past decade. Prior to joining Meridian Surgical Partners, Ms. Martin was the regional director of ASCs for Universal Health Services, where she managed both ASCs and specialty hospitals. She also worked as a regional vice president for Symbion Healthcare, covering the Midwest region. She was previously a board member for AAASC and is an avid supporter of state associations, helping to restart the Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center Association where she served as president and executive director.
Dawn McLane, RN, MSA, CASC, CNOR — Ms. McLane serves as chief development officer for Nikitis Resource Group. She formerly served as a vice president for National Surgical Care and developed and managed more than 10 surgery centers with NSC, Aspen Healthcare and independently. Ms. McLane has worked in the hospital setting as director of surgical services and as a staff nurse in surgery, ER and OB. She is a AAAHC surveyor for ASC accreditation and Medicare certification and is also a book author and frequent speaker.
Melody Mena, RN, CNOR — Ms. Mena is director of surgical services for Southern Regional Health System and administrator of Spivey Station Surgery Center, both located in south metro Atlanta. Ms. Mena began her career as an x-ray technician and later became an operating room nurse. She then ran medical consulting firms for several years. In 2006, Ms. Mena became director of surgical services for the Surgery Center at Mt. Zion, a joint physician/Southern Regional Health System venture. She turned around the struggling ASC and transformed it into a successful profit center, relying heavily on making the center technologically advanced. Her success there led to additional responsibilities as she became director of surgical services for the entire Southern Regional Health System in 2008.
Elaina Milliken — Ms. Milliken is the administrator of Eastern Orange Ambulatory Surgery Center in Cornwall, N.Y., a joint venture with Facility Development & Management and community physicians at St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital System, and has served in this position since its inception. Before arriving at Eastern Orange, Ms. Milliken worked as an administrative director for a prestigious New York City medical center. According to her colleagues, her talent and experience has contributed to the successful implementation of operations at Eastern Orange, which includes the pivotal participation with the successful New York State Department of Health inspection and three-year accreditation from AAAHC.
Evelyn Miller, CPA — Ms. Miller serves as the vice president of development at United Surgical Partners International. She is responsible for the company's strategic direction of USPI's mergers and acquisitions efforts. She is also responsible for the financial analysis section of the development department, thus overseeing financial projections on all de novo projects. A certified public accountant, Ms. Miller began her career in healthcare as the system controller at All Saints Health System in Fort Worth, Texas (now a part of the Baylor Healthcare System). Before joining USPI, she was executive vice president of Medway Health Systems, overseeing the financial operations of its medical clinics.
Amy Mowles — Ms. Mowles is the owner of Mowles Medical Practice Management and is a leading expert with respect to pain management services provided in practices and provided in surgery centers. Ms. Mowles has successfully guided numerous new ventures and established ASCs and physicians' practices through the complicated maze of regulations, licensing, certification and accreditation processes. Her vast experience in managing and marketing physician practices and securing payor relations has helped them operate at maximum efficiency and profitability.
Linda Peterson, MBA — Ms. Peterson is CEO of Executive Solutions for Healthcare and has more than 30 years of experience in development and operational management of healthcare organizations. Her previous experience includes executive director for ambulatory care at The Joint Commission, corporate director of development/registered representative for HealthSouth, senior vice president of development for a startup ASC development company and ASC development consultant for a national ASC management and consulting firm. Ms. Peterson areas of expertise include the design, development and operational management of new business and product lines, mergers and acquisitions in the ambulatory service sectors for independent practices, groups, hospitals and integrated delivery systems.
Randi Pisko RN, BSN, MHSA, CNOR — Ms. Pisko is CEO of North Carolina Specialty Hospital, a National Surgical Hospital facility, located in Durham, N.C. Ms. Pisko has a 11 years of operating room experience and 16 years of experience in the management of surgical care delivery. She has worked in both non-profit and for-profit arenas, as well as acute care hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Ms. Pisko earned an undergraduate degree in nursing from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a master's degree in health service administration from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.
Linda Rahm — Ms. Rahm is the administrator at Pioneer Valley Surgicenter in Springfield, Mass. The multi-specialty center performs GI, ENT, orthopedics, general surgery, urology and plastics procedures in its two operating rooms and four procedure rooms. Ms. Rahm has been with the center since it opened in 2003. She previously served as COO for multi-specialty group, CEO of a specialty hospital and skilled nursing facility, the administrator of an assisted living complex, regional director for a rehabilitation company and was an occupational therapist for a traumatic brain injury center. Currently, Ms. Rahm serves as the president for the Massachusetts Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and has been involved in several National Quality Collaborative projects.
Lori Ramirez — Ms. Ramirez is founder and CEO of Elite Surgical Affiliates, which develops, manages and co-owns ambulatory surgical facilities with surgeons. With more than 12 years of experience in surgical development, operations and management, Ms. Ramirez has successfully partnered with more than 350 surgeons, has played a critical role in recruiting more than 100 new surgeons and has been successful in restructuring and turning around failing partnerships. She has extensive experience in creating joint ventures with health systems such as Memorial Hermann in Houston and CHRISTUS Health System in South Texas. Prior to founding Elite, Ms. Ramirez was a senior vice president of United Surgical Partners International, where she was directly responsible for developing the second-largest network of surgical facilities for USPI in Houston. She oversaw 20-plus surgical facilities, including two surgical hospitals, one of which included an imaging center and three breast imaging centers.
Lisa Rock — Ms. Rock is president and CEO of National Medical Billing Services and has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare coding and billing. Previously, Ms. Rock served as vice president of business office operations and executive director for an ASC central business office and as director of training, education and communications for Mid-Atlantic Medical Services. While with MAMSI, Ms. Rock conducted all of the physician, ASC and hospital coding and billing training seminars. She also authored training manuals and was the MAMSI representative to the Maryland Ambulatory Surgery Association. Earlier in Ms. Rock's career, she held practice management positions in orthopedic, retina and cardiology professional offices.
Marcy Rogers, MEd — Ms. Rogers is president and CEO of SpineMark, Management Technology Resources and American Pain Management. For more than 30 years she has worked with leading healthcare professionals, facilities and medical device manufacturers to advance her goals of improving patient outcomes and satisfaction, as well as developing premier centers of excellence in multiple specialties. Ms. Rogers began building centers of excellence 19 years ago in the field of craniofacial surgery. Her focus on awareness and patient advocacy led her to spearhead legislation to create a National Craniofacial Awareness Week. Thanks to her efforts, U.S. Congress passed the bill in 1990.
Karen Sablyak, CPA — Ms. Sablyak is the CFO and executive vice president of management services at Physicians Endoscopy. With 10 years of experience in healthcare finance and operations, Ms. Sablyak's leadership skills and financial acumen have resulted in tremendous results in reporting and management at Physicians Endoscopy. She has particular expertise in billing processes, the development of policies and procedures, and the analysis and interpretation of healthcare financial data.
Molly Sandvig, JD — Ms. Sandvig is the executive director of Physician Hospitals of America. She has done an outstanding job advocating for physician-owned hospitals and her leadership on behalf of them has been instrumental in the ongoing debate about the rights for physicians to develop and hold ownership stakes in physician-owned hospitals. Ms. Sandvig also serves as the president of the South Dakota Association of Specialty Care Providers, representing physician-owned hospitals and ASCs in South Dakota. She is currently serving a second term as a governor appointee to the South Dakota Healthcare Commission. Ms. Sandvig is also a co-chair of the governor-appointed subcommittee on Universal Healthcare Access in South Dakota.
Caryl Serbin, RN, BSN, LHRM — Ms. Serbin is the president and founder of Surgery Consultants of America and Serbin Surgery Center Billing. Ms. Serbin has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with the last 18 years spent in ambulatory surgery administration and consulting. Her companies provide development, management and billing services for numerous freestanding and hospital joint-venture ASC. As a recognized leader in the industry, Ms. Serbin presents extensively at ASC national seminars and association meetings, authors articles on ASC-related topics and contributes regularly to industry publications.
Lisa Schriver, RN, CNOR — Ms. Schriver is the administrator of Turk's Head Surgery Center in West Chester, Pa. The center is multi-specialty, freestanding surgery center that offers general surgery, GI, orthopedics, ophthalmology, ENT, urology, gynecology and podiatry. Ms. Schriver started with Turk's Head in 2005 when the center opened as its clinical director and was later promoted to become administrator. Prior to coming to the center, she had a varied career in nursing and served in various departments including the operating room, endoscopy and perioperative. From there, she moved to a hospital-based ASC and became the nurse manager.
Debra Stinchcomb, RN, BSN, CASC — Ms. Stinchcomb is the director of operations preparation and transition management for Health Inventures. She has 25 years of healthcare experience including development, clinical, administrative, operations and sales. The last 14 years have been focused exclusively in the ASC industry with a particular emphasis on multispecialty centers. In that time, she has held positions as an ASC administrator, assistant regional vice president and regional vice president. Her responsibilities have included budget development and management, revenue and expense management, contract negotiation, licensing/certification/accreditation compliance, marketing, risk management, quality improvement and benchmarking. Ms. Stinchcomb is a past chair of the Foundation of Ambulatory Surgery in America and past board member of FASA. She was an AAAHC surveyor from 2001-2007 and is a member of the ambulatory Joint Commission Professional and Technical Advisory Committee.
Donna St. Louis — Ms. St. Louis currently serves as a vice president for diagnostics and outpatient services for BayCare Health System, which operates 14 diagnostic centers, four surgery centers, three wellness centers and retail medicine facilities. Before joining BayCare, Ms. St. Louis was a group president for Symbion, with responsibility for more than 45 surgery centers. Prior to her position at Symbion, Ms. St. Louis served as group president for HealthSouth. She presently serves on the board of the ASC Association and on the board of the Florida Society of Ambulatory Surgical Centers.
Alsie Sydness-Fitzgerald, RN, CASC — Ms. Sydness-Fitzgerald is chair of the ASC Association and served on the team that negotiated the merger of the two national ASC associations (FASA and AAASC). She has worked hand-in-hand for more than 30 years with ASC professionals throughout the country, including some of most highly-regarded ASC leaders and advocates from the industry's earliest days. Previous experience includes serving in a large number of volunteer ASC leadership and advocacy roles, including serving on Certified Administrator Surgery Center exam committee and chairing the FASA Annual Meeting Program Committee. Ms. Sydness-Fitzgerald retired from full-time employment as the director of clinical operations for HCA Ambulatory Surgery Division in 2005 and presently she owns and operates her own healthcare consulting company, Alsie Fitzgerald Consulting.
Stephanie Tarry — Ms. Tarry is senior vice president, business development for Nueterra Healthcare. Since joining Nueterra in 2000, she has successfully recruited physician partners and syndicated 22 ASCs and real estate private placement offerings, of which six have been joint ventures with hospitals. Ms. Tarry is a licensed securities representative knowledgeable in Reg "D" offerings. Her extensive background in finance and accounting allows her to thoroughly understand and explain the financial structure of the partnerships. She began her career with 12 years of banking experience. Before joining Nueterra, she served as the director of treasury for a major Midwestern integrated health system and, before that, as the treasurer for the largest school district in Missouri.
Linda Van Horn, MBA — Ms. Van Horn is the president and CEO of 21st Century Edge, a leading healthcare management consulting firm that specializes in working with pain management practices throughout the United States on the business aspects of establishing and improving pain practice operations and profitability. Ms. Van Horn has more than 20 years of professional experience including six years as the president and CEO of 21st Century Edge, five years as the COO of The Pain Institute, where she helped establish pain management services at 22 locations in two states, and five years as a senior manager at Deliotte & Touche, a major accounting firm.
Dianne Wallace, RN, BSM, MBA — Ms. Wallace is executive director of Menomonee Falls (Wis.) Ambulatory Surgery Center and has been in this role for more than 10 years. Her career as a healthcare executive has included leadership roles in hospitals, home health agencies, medical groups and ambulatory surgery. She has presented nationally on issues ranging from leadership to managing a profitable surgery center. Ms. Wallace, a registered nurse, also holds an undergraduate degree in management and a graduate degree in business administration. She has also served as president of the ASC Assembly of MGMA and of the Surgery Center Association of Wisconsin.
Lisa Weston, CPC-H, LHRM — Ms. Weston is the director of the ASC coding division for The Coding Network. She employs 20 certified and ASC-experienced coders who code and audit for more than 100 ASCs across the country. Ms. Weston personally selects, trains, tests the proficiency of, and provides quality assurance reviews to these coders. Ms. Weston and her coders serve as the "insourced" coding staff for a number of regional and national ASC management firms, providing them with a corporate-wide level of uniformity and accuracy, ongoing coding, continuous quality improvement and compliance audit reviews of the accuracy of coding performed by others.
Cindy Young, RN, CASC — Ms. Young is the administrator of the Surgery Center of Farmington (Mo.). The multi-specialty center, which opened in 1999, has two operating rooms and two procedure rooms. Ms. Young has been at the Surgery Center of Farmington since it opened, starting as a staff nurse and moving into the administrator position in 2002. Prior to coming to the center, she was a nurse at a rural hospital for five years and served for two years in the operating room at the hospital.
Peggy Zampetti, RN — Ms. Zampetti is senior vice president of facility development and clinical operations for Titan Health. Ms. Zampetti joined Titan in 1999 from HealthSouth where she served as administrator and regional coordinator for Joint Commission accreditation. Previous positions include administrator and director of nursing for ASC Network. With more than 20 years of experience in ambulatory surgery development and operations, Ms. Zampetti has extensive experience in ASC design and construction to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. She has personally developed 30 centers nationwide from design and construction to first case and has intimate knowledge of ASC licensure, accreditation and Medicare certification.