Here are 40 surgery center industry leaders who have made an impact on the field despite being 40 years old or younger. Ages are as of August 15, 2013.
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Scott Allen, National Medical Billing Services (32). Mr. Allen is the senior director of managed care contracting for National Medical Billing Services. He joined the company in 2008 and currently manages all aspects of ASC managed care contracts, including language and rates analysis, contract audits and developing best practices for implementing standard operating procedures for managed care contracts throughout the revenue cycles. He is also heavily involved in ASC industry advocacy and serves on the payer relations committee of the Healthcare Billing Management Association. Mr. Allen has lobbied on Capitol Hill for ASCA and is a frequent contributor to industry publications.
Chris Bishop, Blue Chip Surgical Partners (40). Mr. Bishop is a partner and senior vice president of acquisitions and business development for Blue Chip Surgical Center Partners. In his current role, he is responsible for optimizing performance at ASCs within the Blue Chip network and acquiring and "turning around" underperforming surgery centers. Prior to joining Blue Chip in 2010, Mr. Bishop served as vice president with ASCOA. In his five years with the company, he succeeded in developing or acquiring 11 surgery centers, leading to substantial revenue and profit increases. He was also instrumental in refocusing the firm's core strategy on acquisitions and turnarounds. In addition to his work with Blue Chip and ASCOA, Mr. Bishop has extensive leadership experience and a proven track record in developing surgeon partnerships within the medical device industry.
Jennifer Butterfield, MBA, RN, CNOR, Lakes Surgery Center (40). Ms. Butterfield is the administrator of Lakes Surgery Center, a multispecialty, Joint Commission-accredited ASC that performs more than 5,600 cases per year. She has worked in the ASC industry for more than seven years, serving as OR manager and director of nursing prior to becoming an administrator. She was instrumental in starting a spine program at the center and recruiting physicians for the program. When other ASCs in the area were struggling over the past few years, WBSC increased its patient volume.
Adena Dorsey, National Medical Billing Services (36). Ms. Dorsey is senior vice president of marketing at National Medical Billing Services where she is responsible for guiding the overall brand direction of the company, deepening the company's relationships with the ASC industry and identifying new market opportunities. She is the day-to-day face of National Medical and implements tactical plans and marketing strategy while leading all direct marketing, public relations, advertising and internal creative services. Ms. Dorsey has additional experience analyzing and evaluating existing and potential marketing activities and strategies. She earned her MBA from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., and is a Certified Professional Coder.
Jill Dowe, Blue Chip Surgical Partners (36). Ms. Dowe was appointed director of business office operations for Blue Chip Surgical Partners in 2011, joining the company from a position as business office manager of Surgery Center Cedar Rapids (Iowa). In her role at SCCR, Ms. Dowe supervised office teams and worked with other members of the management team to ensure interdepartmental continuity and efficient operations in key areas, including scheduling, registration, admissions, coding and billing, accounts receivable and medical records. She has also worked as a consultant for Health Inventures, where she trained new business office managers in daily and monthly tasks. Ms. Dowe obtained her MHA from the University of Iowa.
Michael Doyle, Surgery Partners (40). Mr. Doyle is CEO of Surgery Partners, where he is responsible for overseeing the firm's day-to-day operation and continued growth. He has experience developing and managing hospitals, surgical centers, rehabilitation facilities and imaging centers. Throughout his career, Mr. Doyle has been a hands-on manager with a wealth of healthcare knowledge, and he applies his practical experience of managing and developing healthcare services to his current position. In 2012 he led the Surgery Partners team in the successful acquisition and integration of NovaMed. Mr. Doyle earned a bachelor's degree in physiotherapy from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and an MBA from Troy (Ala.) State University.
Andrea Fann, Orthopaedic South Surgical Center (40). Ms. Fann serves as the administrator of Orthopaedic South Surgical Center, a United Surgical Partners International facility, in Morrow, Ga. She has served in the position since 2005, before which she worked as business office manager for Buckhead (Ga.) Ambulatory Surgery Center and as director of front office operations for Atlanta Outpatient Surgery Center in Sandy Springs, Ga. Ms. Fann believes that a manager does not automatically become a leader and that installing the right team is essential for ASC success. In 2011, Orthopaedic South Surgical Center was recognized as a Clayton County Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Finalist.
Nicole Gritton, Laser Spine Institute (33). Ms. Gritton is the Vice President of Nursing and ASC Operations at Laser Spine Institute. Her management style and initiative have helped maximize efficiency and achieve Laser Spine Institute's top organizational goals. She is responsible for managing the nursing department and the ASC operations across facilities nationwide. She joined the organization in 2008 as a recovery nurse and quickly rose to her executive role. Prior to joining Laser Spine Institute, Ms. Gritton worked at Mayo Clinic and Scottsdale Healthcare. She is a subject-matter expert on infection control and frequently speaks at conferences and seminars on the topic. Additionally, she secured AAAHC accreditation for the surgical centers in Tampa, Scottsdale and Philadelphia.
Randy Hagen, MBA, CASC, FACMPE, Sheridan Healthcare (40). Mr. Hagen is a regional practice director for Sheridan Healthcare. He previously served as CEO for an ASC management company and has experience starting up, managing and servicing ASCs. In his current role, he works to provide anesthesia services to ASCs and hospitals in New Jersey. Mr. Hagen is six months away from finishing a doctorate in health sciences with a concentration in leadership. He is a fellow with the American College of Medical Practice Executives and member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In addition to his work with Sheridan, he is active in various charity organizations, including the Arthritis Foundation, and has been a guest speaker for the American Association of Orthopaedic Executives.
Brooke Day, Hastings Surgical Center (31). Ms. Day began her career as administrator of West Michigan Surgery Center in Big Rapids at age 25, and then accepted a position as CEO of Blake Woods Medical Park Surgery Center in 2011. Currently, she serves as administrator of Hastings (Neb.) Surgical Center, overseeing 19 full time employees and per diem staff for the three-operating room center. She is also president of the Nebraska Association of Independent Ambulatory Centers. Ms. Day has experience with accounts receivable management, maximizing operating room time and is HIPAA trained. She is excited for the future of ASCs with health reform, she says, and as operating healthcare organizations on a fixed payment may be the future for all entities, individuals with ASC experience will be ahead of the curve.
Steve Henry, CASC, MBA, Surgery Center at Liberty Hospital (36). Mr. Henry joined the Surgery Center at Liberty (Mo.) Hospital as administrator in February 2012. During his first six months, he has had the opportunity to work with talented physicians and a caring and compassionate staff, which led to a 96 percent patient satisfaction rating for 2012. He began his career in market research for a well-known ASC management and development company before earning his MBA in healthcare administration. His background includes experience as a financial analyst, business office director and administrator of a start-up surgery center. A new experience of implementing an electronic health record is his next big task in 2013.
Jennifer Hunara, MHA, MBA, Surgery Center of Allentown (35). Ms. Hunara has managed the Surgery Center of Allentown (Pa.), a large multispecialty ASC, for more than five years. She began her healthcare career at the age of 24 as a business manager of perioperative services at Lehigh Valley Health Network, headquartered in Allentown, Pa., and then moved on to the role of executive director of surgical services for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (N.J.). Her background includes experience in financial and IT management of perioperative services, oversight of surgical processes and management of a profitable surgery center. She maintains her success has been due hard work and great mentors.
Emilie Keene, Parkridge Surgery Center (33). Ms. Keene is the administrator of Parkridge Surgery Center in Columbia, S.C., and president of the South Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. She earned her MHA at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and was promoted to administrator just eight months after joining Parkridge as an assistant to the vice president and administrator. During her time with the surgery center, she successfully recruited eight surgeons, increased net revenues by $1 million, increased employee satisfaction scores by 30 percent and patient satisfaction scores by 4 percent. She also led the ASC through the accreditation process and identified cost savings of nearly $200,000 per year.
Richard Kube, MD, Prairie SurgiCare (38). Dr. Kube is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon and founder of Prairie SurgiCare, which opened in April 2012. He led the project from blue prints to construction and full accreditation in three months as an addition to the practice he founded, Prairie Spine and Pain Institute. Dr. Kube was the first surgeon in Illinois to use the NuVasive PCM cervical disc replacement and among the first to perform two-level coflex procedures. He has a professional interest in minimally invasive spine surgery and has educated other surgeons on minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion technique. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Kube serves as a faculty member at the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Peoria and sits on the board of directors for the American Board of Spine Surgery.
Angela Laux, Bellin Orthopedic Surgery Center (39). Ms. Laux started as the administrator of Bellin Orthopedic Surgery Center in Green Bay, Wis., in June 2010 and brings more than 10 years of experience working in an ASC. The center opened in March 2010. Since then Ms. Laux has led her team to accomplish doubling the number of ORs, case volume and net revenue annually while providing a quality, customer-friendly experience for patients. Prior to joining Bellin Orthopedic, Ms. Laux served as director of quality and outpatient joint program coordinator at The Orthopedics and Sports Institute in Appleton, Wis. In this role, she assured the institute followed all AAAHC/CMS requirements and worked with the joint team to design and implement the process for doing total joints in an ASC. Ms. Laux graduated from Marian University with a master's degree in organizational leadership and quality in 2009.
Jared Leger, Arise Healthcare (34). Mr. Leger is a co-founder and managing partner of Arise Healthcare. The company currently owns and operates various healthcare-related businesses with a focus on ASCs. His background as a registered nurse coupled with his healthcare business background has allowed him to grow Arise Healthcare at an accelerated pace. His past experience includes healthcare finance, mergers and acquisitions, development and operations. He has also syndicated and operated several physician-owned surgery centers. In addition to leading Arise, Mr. Leger owns a real estate investment company based out of Austin, Texas.
Sarah Malaniak, Teaneck Surgical Center (36). Ms. Malaniak is the administrator of Teaneck (N.J.) Surgical Center, where she has spearheaded the development of the ASC's website and transitioned the center away from a management company, which allowed for increased profitability. Ms. Malaniak has made an impact on the center in many other ways as well, including bringing back a spine surgery program. The center is now able to perform orthopedics, spine, podiatry and pain management. "She is an administrator who is a true believer in developing the staff to their fullest potential [and] in doing so it has established the facility as one of the best in Bergen county," says Teaneck Surgical Center Billing Manager Lisa Ferrante. "She promotes the center's gratitude for all the professional efforts put forth by having international food pot lucks, monthly birthday cake celebrations and on numerous large case days brought everyone lunch. She continues to strive to make each patient's experience at our center safe, stress free and friendly." Ms. Malaniak is a member of ASCA and the New Jersey Association for Ambulatory Surgery Centers.
Brian Mathis, Surgical Care Affiliates (33). Mr. Mathis joined Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA) in February 2009 as Vice President of Strategy, where he is responsible for strategic planning, research and development, analytics, and communication and marketing. He was recently elected to the ASC Association Board of Directors. Prior to joining SCA, Mr. Mathis worked for Blue Ridge Partners, a strategy-consulting firm, as well as the Congressional Budget Office. Mr. Mathis holds an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and was a Phi Beta Kappa honoree at Emory University.
Colin McDermott, CFA, CPA/ABV, VMG Health (34). Mr. McDermott is a senior manager with VMG Health and is based in the Dallas office. He specializes in providing financial, valuation and transaction advisory services to clients in the healthcare industry including ambulatory surgery centers. Additionally, Mr. McDermott has experience leading VMG's financial reporting valuation services team. Mr. McDermott has presented and published articles on healthcare valuation issues, including those pertaining to the ASC industry. Mr. McDermott received a MS in finance from Texas A&M University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Accredited in Business Valuation designations.
Kevin McDonough, VMG Health (33). Mr. McDonough is a partner with VMG Health, a leading provider of valuation services to the surgery center industry. Mr. McDonough began his career with VMG in 2003 and now leads the firm's ASC business valuation department. He has had the privilege of working with industry leaders in helping them navigate today's market challenges and the experience of providing valuation services to more than 100 ASCs each year. He is a frequent speaker at national and regional surgery center conferences and has authored a number of articles for Becker's ASC Review and other publications over the years. Mr. McDonough holds a CFA designation and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
Christina McDonald, Tampa Outpatient Surgical Facility (34). Ms. McDonald serves as the administrator of Tampa Outpatient Surgical Facility, where she is responsible for overseeing facility operations and strategically increasing volume. Since joining the center in August 2008, she has increased monthly case volume from an average of 200 to an average of 700. The multispecialty ASC contains five ORs and seven procedure rooms and performs plastics, urology, GYN, ophthalmology, podiatry, orthopedics, general surgery, pain management and endoscopy. Prior to joining Tampa Outpatient, Ms. McDonald worked as the assistant administrator to the executive vice president of patient care services. She also completed an administrative fellowship at Tampa General Hospital working under the president and CEO.
Amy McKiernan, Louisville Surgery Center in Kentucky (37). Ms. McKiernan joined Louisville Surgery Center, an ASD Management facility, in January 2005, three months after the center opened. She says the center has grown tremendously since her first day; in the first year, the ASC performed 814 cases, and in 2010, the number had jumped to 3,431 cases. The center currently performs plastics and ENT in two ORs and seven pre-op/recovery bays. She says the center has benefited from ASD Management's bonus program. Since the implementation of the program, the staff has looked to every area of the center for cost savings.
Lindsay Miller, National Medical Billing Services (30). Ms. Miller is the executive vice president of operations for National Medical Billing Services. In this role, she provides detailed financial analysis and reporting for clients, identifies various revenue-cycle inefficiencies and then helps develop and implement tailor-made solutions specific to each client. She has an in-depth knowledge and experience with large independent centers as well as management companies and joint venture operations. She is also an expert with most ASC software management applications and practice management systems.
Arvind Movva, MD (36). Dr. Movva is currently CEO of Heartland Clinic, Valley View Anesthesia and Regional SurgiCenter, an eight-OR multispecialty ASC in Illinois. He also practices as a gastroenterologist and serves as co-founder and consultant with Movva Medical Consulting. Dr. Movva joined Gastroenterology Consultants upon completion of his fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia in 2010. He offers a full range of gastroenterology care, including ERCP/EUS, hemorrhoidal banding and a cure for Barrett's Esophagus. Dr. Movva received his MD from The Chicago Medical School and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago.
Aaron Murski, VMG Health (32). Mr. Murski is a senior manager at VMG Health, based in the Dallas area. He focuses on developing client relationships and providing valuation, transaction advisory and operational consulting services in the healthcare services industry. He specifically has significant experience with the acute-care and specialty hospital, physician practice, inpatient rehabilitation, cancer treatment, ASC and diagnostic imaging segments. In addition to the extensive valuation experience for transacting planning and financial reporting purposes, he has consulted on numerous development, feasibility and recapitalization analyses for joint venture, restructuring and de novo business development purposes.
Christine Henry Musa, Regent Surgical Health (29). Ms. Musa is the director of business development at Regent Surgical Health where she performs due diligence on Regent's new business opportunities and leads strategic initiatives for Regent ASCs. She has previous experience with strategic marketing plans and commercialization strategies for products in clinical development as a senior consultant at Navigant. Prior to her work at Navigant, she was brand manager at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School.
Rebecca Overton, Surgical Management Professionals (37). Ms. Overton brings more than 15 years of healthcare receivables and revenue cycle experience to her role as director of revenue cycle management for Surgical Management Professionals. Prior to joining the company, she served as director of A/R and materials management for SurgCenter Development, where she provided overall direction in her respective areas for more than 20 multispecialty surgery centers. Before joining SurgCenter Development, she worked as the business director for two successful, freestanding, multispecialty surgery centers in Florida and worked as an A/R coordinator for an ASC in Little Rock, Ark. With SMP, Ms. Overton has improved EOM processes internally and with clients; reviewed adjustment history to identify opportunities for appeals and increased collections; and implemented contract management.
Amber Patterson, BBA, Westside Surgery Center in Douglas, Ga. (28). Ms. Patterson is practice administrator of Ear Nose & Throat Clinic and Westside Surgery Center. She came to Westside Surgery Center in December 2008, when she inherited the administrator position of the freestanding, physician-owned ASC. In her first three years with the center, she has researched the best deals on ASC equipment, worked with a consultant to ensure the facility was built according to state guidelines, hired and trained new staff, completed the state survey and Joint Commission accreditation and maintained compliance with federal regulations. In constant pursuit of professional development, Ms. Patterson is currently pursuing a degree in business administration.
Jack Pocorobba, CASC, Surgical Care Affiliates (31). Mr. Pocorobba serves as a Director of Operations for Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA), where he is responsible for ASCs in Minnesota, South Jersey and Connecticut. He joined SCA in 2010 as an Administrator for the Surgical Center of South Jersey. In two years time, he grew the business' EBITDA by 85 percent and increased both physician and teammate satisfaction by 40 percent and 16 percent respectively. In 2012 he was promoted and began focusing on broadening the organization's portfolio within the greater Minneapolis Market. In short order, he has helped to add new specialties at each facility he has supported. His responsibility has since grown to include hospital joint ventures in both New Jersey and Connecticut. Mr. Pocorobba's ability to analyze operational efficiencies along with the dynamics of each of his markets has helped him achieve success in every aspect of his career.
Jessica Quick, MBA, The Colonoscopy Center (30). Ms. Quick has served as the administrator for The Colonoscopy Center, a physician-owned facility located in Omaha, Neb., since 2011. Prior to joining The Colonoscopy Center, Ms. Quick was the manager for the Health Inventure's Central Business Office located in Omaha. She received her master's degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Ms. Quick is a member of the Nebraska Association of Independent Ambulatory Centers.
Cory Roberts, Surgical Care Affiliates (28). Mr. Roberts serves as a Vice President of Operations for Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA), where he is responsible for 17 ASCs, 12 sleep centers, the company's largest regional business office, and two major health system partnerships in the Midwest. He joined SCA in early 2010 to lead financial operations in the greater Los Angeles area before being promoted to serve as the chief of staff for SCA's Chief Operating Officer, Michael Rucker. He was promoted to his current position soon after. Since joining SCA in 2010, Mr. Roberts has been influential in creating, implementing and optimizing SCA's growth and operating strategies. Notably, he helped define and implement SCA's health system client service model with two health systems, successfully increasing growth.
Alex Scott, MBA, Surgical Specialists at Princeton (33). Mr. Scott began his career in the ambulatory surgery center industry working in the Administrator Development Program for United Surgical Partners International. He has experience as administrator of a USPI center in Lakewood, N.J., and was then offered an administrator role at Surgical Specialists at Princeton (N.J.). The ASC opened as the first multispecialty surgery center in the area and includes urology, gastroenterology, podiatry, pain management, ophthalmology and orthopedics. Prior to his experience with USPI, Mr. Scott was the director of business development for a federally qualified health center in Jersey City. He earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Jason Ruchaber, CFA, ASA, HealthCare Appraisers (38). Mr. Ruchaber, partner at HealthCare Appraisers, leads the company's business valuation team in valuing ASCs, transactions in the ASC industry and a variety of healthcare compensation, management and service arrangements, as well as intangible assets. He is the author of several articles regarding valuation in the healthcare industry and has made several presentations at national ASC and healthcare industry conferences.
Simon Schwartz, Strategic Resources Group (30). Mr. Schwartz is currently an associate managing director for Strategic Resources Group, which specializes in trade association management, event planning and marketing, and serves as the director of events and management for the Oregon Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. He previously served as director of marketing and business development at Pinnacle III. In his role at the company, he worked on new client development for the operational development, management and billing of ambulatory surgery centers across the country. Mr. Schwartz's experience also includes time as the event coordinator for the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.
Brooke Smith, Maryland Surgery Center for Women in Rockville, Md. (37). In her time with Maryland Surgery Center for Women, Ms. Smith has successfully taken a struggling ASC and turned it into a safe, profitable, professional facility. She has worked to increase collections from an average of $70K per month to an average of $240K per month, all while decreasing the center's days in A/R significantly to an average of 25 days. She also led a pilot program for online pre-surgical admission, trialing the program for presentation to the center's management company, Ambulatory Surgery Centers of America, for consideration among 30 other ASCs. Her cost savings in 2010 alone added up to $110,000.
Angela Talton, National Medical Billing Services (36). Ms. Talton joined National Medical Billing Services as senior vice president of coding in 2012. She leads the company's coding and compliance departments, providing long-term planning and operational oversight. She is also responsible for planning and managing the strategic integration of regulatory changes such as ICD-10 at the corporate level and ensuring all National Medical's coders are properly trained. Ms. Talton is also President of the Eastern Missouri Health Information Management Association and an AHIMA-approved ICD-10 certified trainer. Prior to joining National Medical, Ms. Talton was Regional Epic Product Specialist-Health Information Management for a healthcare IT organization. She has held numerous other leadership positions directing departments for coding, billing and operations for healthcare organizations.
Vivek Taparia, The Center for Ambulatory Surgery at Swedish Covenant (32). Hired by the board to be its first employee, Mr. Taparia built a 20-person team and launched The Center for Ambulatory Surgery at Swedish Covenant, a seven specialty outpatient center on the north side of Chicago. Previously, Mr. Taparia served as Director of Business Development for Regent Surgical Health and oversaw strategic projects such as a corporate-wide case costing program. He also advised healthcare corporations on a variety of corporate finance issues while at the investment bank of JP Morgan. Mr. Taparia received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago. He also was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study banking infrastructure in Mexico City and pursued international development work in Hyderabad, India as a William J. Clinton Service Fellow.
Brice Voithofer, AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions (40). Mr. Voithofer is the vice president of anesthesia and ASC services for AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions. He is responsible for the operations, client support and growth of the company's anesthesia, pain management and surgery center division. He has experience managing anesthesia, radiology and pathology practices nationally and understands the nuances of surgery center billing. Prior to joining AHS, Mr. Voithofer worked in sales, client management, consulting and operational roles in the medical billing and payer industries. He earned a BS degree in Health Policy and Administration at Penn State University.
Philipp Wall, MD, RPVI, Arizona Vein and Vascular Center (39). Dr. Wall is the founder of Arizona Vein and Vascular Center, a specialist practice devoted to the treatment and practice of vascular disease. He single-handedly turned a two-exam room office into a 6,500-square-foot center in two years. In 2011, Arizona Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery (Arizona Vein and Vascular Center) became an AAASF-accredited ambulatory surgery center. Dr. Wall is board-certified in vascular and endovascular surgery and is a registered physician in vascular interpretation. He earned his MD from the State University of New York Downstate Health Science Center in 1997 and completed his residency in general surgery at SUNY Buffalo, followed by a vascular and endovascular fellowship at SUNY Stony Brook. He serves as the ASC's medical director, performs procedures in the ASC and operates in several local hospitals.
Jay N. Yepuri, MD, Digestive Health Associates of Texas (40). Dr. Yepuri is a member of the board of directors for the Digestive Health Associates of Texas and vice president of the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society. He also serves on the executive committee and board of directors for TASCS. He is extremely active in the ASC industry and has traveled to Washington, DC to lobby Congress. Dr. Yepuri is also an AAAHC surveyor and serves as councilor of the Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy and is a delegate for TSGE to the Texas Medical Association. He has received numerous recognitions during his career, including one of the 2012 Top Doctors of Greater Fort Worth by Fort Worth, Texas magazine.
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