As AMGA members adopt new strategies and tactics in response COVID-19, AMGA’s upcoming virtual conference, IQL20 Virtual: Transform: Transformation and Innovation Post COVID-19, will showcase how leading organizations are adjusting to survive and thrive in the wake of the pandemic.
 
IQL20 featured keynotes include A. Marc Harrison, M.D., president and chief executive officer, Intermountain Health; Stephen Klasko, M.D., president, Thomas Jefferson University, chief executive officer, Jefferson Health; Evan Schnur, director, healthcare transformation and strategy, Walmart; and more.
 
Register now for conference sessions on September 17-18, 2020, that will highlight what leaders are doing to manage rapid and far-reaching change, including accelerating their digital health, telehealth, and virtual care capabilities. Also discover innovative approaches to changing care processes, implementing new financing models, and improving patient access. The conference will be a fully virtual experience, providing cutting-edge examples from groups that have used the opportunity created by this crisis to forge a new path forward, as well as from innovators from outside the industry.
 
Join us as we look ahead to the post-pandemic world and what it will mean for health care.
 

Although COVID-19 prevented in-person conferences this spring, 2020 Annual Conference peer-to-peer breakout sessions are now available on-demand, so you and your teams can watch them at your convenience and earn CME credit.
 
Gain fresh insights on innovations in medical group management, operations, patient engagement, and technology from over 20 breakout sessions, presented by leaders from America's most prestigious healthcare delivery organizations.
 
One of our leading tracks, Leadership, Governance, and Culture, showcases presentations from Aurora Health Care Medical Group, Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation, Palo Alto Medical Group Foundation, Saint Luke’s Physician Group, SIMEDHealth, and Wake Forest Health Network. Additional tracks feature experts from medical groups across the country on Operations and Finance, Technology and Innovation, and Patient-Centered Care.

AMGA’s continuing education programming can be a great way to learn cutting-edge strategies and stay current on best practices from leading organizations, so invite your teams to participate and earn CME credit. AMGA designates each of these on-demand webinars for 1.0 hour of category AMA CME credit. Each presentation contains a full recording, copy of slides and an evaluation/credit request form. This form must be returned to AMGA to receive CME credit.
 

The Together 2 Goal® (T2G) team is thrilled to announce that the case studies from the T2G Innovator Track Eye Care Cohort are now available. During this year-long initiative, 10 medical groups and health systems developed and implemented care processes that sought to increase sight-saving eye exams for patients with diabetes. Cohort participants employed a variety of interventions, such as acquiring retinal cameras, improving documentation in electronic health records (EHRs), refining clinical workflows, and leveraging fax-back forms to document eye exams conducted at external organizations. These interventions collectively resulted in 8,600 additional diabetes patients with documented screening for diabetic retinopathy. Check out the case studies to learn more about the interventions, outcomes, and lessons learned from each organization.
 

AMGA is now seeking submissions for presentations at our 2021 Annual Conference, April 15-18, in Grapevine, Texas, where leaders will be able to share the accomplishments of their organization with other healthcare leaders from across the country.
 
Health care is rapidly changing as provider groups evolve to meet the demands of a post-COVID world. If your group has a forward-looking strategy or you have an experience or collaboration to share with your colleagues, we invite you to present a peer-to-peer breakout session. We are seeking innovative, engaging, and inspiring stories from leaders that can guide medical groups and health systems in navigating the complex landscape of healthcare delivery. Please view the full list of suggested topics here. 
 
To secure your spot, please review the Call for Presentations and submit your proposal by Friday, July 31, 2020. If you would like to discuss topic ideas before submitting, please contact Andi Eberly at aeberly@amga.org.
 

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spreads throughout the U.S., our member medical groups and health systems are working at the front lines to provide the highest quality care to their patients. As a partner with our members, AMGA has created a place where members can share best practices and access the latest, most relevant updates from federal agencies and others.
 
AMGA has worked closely with members, federal agencies, and other healthcare entities to respond to this challenge and to make sure our members have the most up-to-date information and resources. We recently launched our COVID-19 Resources page, offering frontline tactics and tools from members, the most current federal policies and guidelines, communications from the payer community, as well as additional assets from the World Health Organization and other leaders in the healthcare industry. In just a short time AMGA’s COVID-19 Resources page has become the number one result across multiple search engines for medical groups seeking COVID-related information.
 
Please visit our COVID-19 Resources page, and if you have any contributions to you would like share or want to suggest an additional topic area, please contact AMGA.
 

Practice Operations and Compensation Strategy Conference
Virtual Meeting
September 9-10, 2020
 
IQL20 Virtual: Transformation and Innovation Post COVID-19
Virtual Meeting
September 17-18, 2020
 
Value Summit 2020
November 13, 2020
Presented by Ochsner Health System with support from AMGA, this three-hour virtual event will bring together healthcare industry decision makers representing the nation’s leading health systems and payer organizations to explore ideas and share best practices around value-based quality care. As part of the session, AMGA President and CEO Dr. Jerry Penso will moderate a fireside chat, entitled “The Future of Value.” To register or for more information, visit valuesummit.org.
 
Regional/Targeted Meetings
 
Northeast Regional Meeting
Philadelphia, PA
October 6, 2020
 
Southern Regional Meeting
Atlanta, GA
October 7, 2020
 
Midwest Regional Meeting
Milwaukee, WI
October 7, 2020
 
Southern Regional Meeting
Dallas, TX
October 13, 2020
 
Northwest Regional Meeting
Seattle, WA
October 13, 2020
 
Southern Regional Meeting
Nashville, TN
October 15, 2020
 
Midwest Regional Meeting
Minneapolis, MN
October 29, 2020
 
Northwest Regional Meeting
Portland, OR
December 3, 2020
 
Webinars
 
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Facilitates Telehealth Services for Diabetes Management  
Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at 2 p.m. ET
Karen Earle, MD, Chief of Endocrinology and Director of Diabetes Services, California Pacific Medical Center, and Chief of Division of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Sutter West Bay Medical Group
As telemedicine evolves in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals have expanded opportunities to remotely manage patients with diabetes in real time and improve care for this high-risk population. This webinar will discuss how to elevate telehealth diabetes management using Dexcom's continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system with the CLARITY cloud-based software platform for remote monitoring. This cutting-edge technology, Dexcom G6, provides real-time sensor glucose readings every five minutes and allows users and healthcare professionals to make real-time decisions.
 
Knowledge Share: How The Iowa Clinic Used Digital Solutions to Respond to the Pandemic & How to Prepare for the Future  
Wednesday, August 5, 2020, at 2 p.m. ET
Tyler S. Dettmann, Senior Manager of Patient Services, The Iowa Clinic; and Alyssa LaHaie, Account Manager, Experian Health
Uncertainty has been a hallmark of COVID-19. However, one fact has remained constant; digital care delivery solutions are a crucial part of the evolutionary process for all medical groups and health systems. During this webinar, Iowa Clinic will explain how its digital strategy helped mitigate the severity of financial losses it suffered at the hands of COVID-19. They will also share strategies other AMGA members can utilize to create or enhance their own digital strategy as they prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19, another global pandemic, or even just the new care delivery norms of a post-COVID world.

AMGA has recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reverse its decision to forgo the 2021 application cycle for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and maintain the progression through levels of risk in the program. While CMS has taken several steps to support healthcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, the transition to value-based care should continue. Providers have adopted new care management strategies because of the pandemic, and the lessons learned will inform care delivery models in the future. Those providers that voluntarily wish to enter the MSSP should have an opportunity to do so.  
 
“CMS has instituted a number of changes to support providers and their patients during the national public health emergency,” said AMGA President and CEO Jerry Penso, MD, MBA. “But the work to move our delivery system to one that prioritizes value needs to continue. We cannot afford to pause the progress that we have made in the transition to value-based care, and cancelling the 2021 application cycle for the MSSP will unnecessarily inhibit that transition.”
 
CMS’ interim final rule also provides those Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the BASIC track of the MSSP with an option to maintain their current risk level for an additional year. However, those ACOs that select this option will not advance to the next level of risk in sequential order. For example, a “Level B” ACO that selects to remain at Level B will move to Level D the following year, bypassing Level C.  While AMGA supports the option for ACOs to remain in their current risk level, CMS should not then move them past a stage and into a more advanced risk level automatically. It is important that ACOs continue to assume additional risk incrementally.
 
The letter is available here.
 

Nearly 90% of medical groups and integrated health systems report that their revenue has declined by 25% or more during the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 40% of medical groups and 20% of integrated health systems saying monthly revenue losses have exceeded 50%. These findings, from recent surveys conducted by AMGA, highlight the urgent need for Congress to provide more financial assistance to our nation’s healthcare providers.
 
The CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, provided $100 billion in relief to healthcare providers. The HEROES Act, approved by the House of Representatives on May 15, included an additional $100 billion for the Provider Relieve Fund. In a letter to Senate leadership last week, AMGA asked Congress to continue funding the Provider Relief Fund in future legislative packages. Despite this relief, these survey findings demonstrate that more immediate assistance is needed if medical groups and integrated health systems are to continue meeting the needs of patients—both during and after the pandemic.
 
“Health systems and medical groups are operating under a cloud of financial uncertainty that threatens their ability to continue to deliver the best care to their communities,” said AMGA President and CEO Jerry Penso, MD, MBA. “We continue to urge Congress to provide additional funding to stabilize the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.”
 
The 95 respondents to the AMGA surveys included leaders from 59 of the nation’s preeminent integrated health systems and 36 independent medical groups. The surveys were conducted May 26 – June 1.

Among the surveys’ other key findings:

 

• 41% of healthcare systems and 36% of medical groups are forecasting it will be at least a year  (Q2 of 2021 or later) before revenues return to pre-COVID levels
• Nearly 23% of healthcare systems and 28% of medical groups said it’s still unknown when their revenues will return to normal
• Healthcare systems and medical groups anticipate increasing expenses compared to pre-COVID:
  • 92% of healthcare systems and 97% of medical groups expect an increase in personal protective equipment (PPE) expenses 
  • 87% of healthcare systems and 91% of medical groups expect increases in telehealth infrastructure costs 

The lost revenue is largely the result of medical groups and integrated systems eliminating non-essential surgeries and procedures. While providers are seeing some of this revenue return as elective procedures resume and patients begin scheduling appointments, providers are still facing an uncertain financial future amid a number of changing variables, including the potential for a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.   In addition, providers face risks to obtaining adequate reimbursement for care provided, primarily due to variations in telehealth reimbursement and potential insurance coverage lapses caused by unemployment.
 
“The financial risks are real, and we have heard that several groups have already run through their reserves,” Penso said. “This pandemic has changed the expense makeup for providers, who now are funding new PPE and telehealth infrastructure costs while simultaneously dealing with significant revenue losses.

AMGA is in the process of reviewing the Acclaim Award criteria and application process to ensure the award continues to provide the highest honor to high-performing healthcare delivery organizations. In light of this review, the award will not be presented in 2021. Please visit amga.org/acclaim for future updates.
 

With the 2020 release, AMGA’s Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey is now available on a new online platform. The online interface has been updated and improved with a more user-friendly layout, residing in Tableau. It includes live features for customizing data and graphing capabilities allowing multiple visual representations. 
 
Now in its 33^rd year, the 2020 edition provides benchmarks from more than 317 medical groups and more than 127,000 providers across the country—the largest dataset ever.
 
In addition to compensation and productivity of physicians and other clinical staff, the survey includes starting salaries of new residents and experienced new hires; salaries for physician leadership, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and compensation for medical group executive/leadership roles. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 results will assist medical groups in evaluating the competitiveness of compensation levels for physicians and clinical staff in over 140 specialties, as well as provide invaluable insight into the relationship between physician compensation and productivity. Specific breakdowns are available for size of medical group and geographic region to allow for relevant market-based comparisons.
 
The new online platform provides multiple filter options for customized analysis. These include group type, academic status, region, and provider years of service. Users can drill down and export a variety of datasets, with views such as all available specialties, physician and APP compensation and productivity data, medical director hourly rates, and executive salary and bonus data.
 
Overall, the 2020 survey results reflect a continued trend of compensation increases without corresponding production increases. The results also spotlight potential opportunities to offset this trend, such as operations/process improvement, addressing provider burnout, and recruitment planning.
 
AMGA members and corporate partners receive a discount on their AMGA 2020 Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey purchases. For ordering information for the online version, visit link.
 

COVID-19 has strained American health care like nothing before, but it has also yielded opportunities for positive change. AMGA Foundation, along with the providers and health systems that participate in our initiatives, will use our proven collaborative model to accelerate this change by identifying and amplifying best practices for chronic care delivery in a post-COVID world.
 
As we move toward a post-COVID environment, AMGA Foundation is interested in how the pandemic impacts care for patients with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, as well as how we can incorporate a possible vaccine into existing care paths for these patients. We anticipate that our initiatives will expand to disseminate best practices in the areas of telemedicine, ensuring that patients at highest risk for health disparities and complications from infection receive the appropriate vaccinations, and even treating the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection in patients with chronic conditions.
 
If you depend on AMGA Foundation to elevate best practices for the most pressing American healthcare issues, please consider showing your support by making a contribution of $100 today. Thank you for all you are already doing to ensure that we recover from this pandemic. AMGA is so proud of the heroism of our members.
 
Donate today.
 

Do you want to share innovative initiatives and strategies that are enabling your group to deliver high performance health? Publicize your group’s successes in Group Practice Journal (GPJ). Submit a story to GPJ to reach more than 75,000 healthcare leaders at medical groups and health systems throughout the nation.
 
For over 60 years AMGA’s flagship publication GPJ has focused on the socioeconomic, political, business, operational, and legal aspects of medical care provided by medical groups and other organized systems of care, with articles covering issues and trends regarding legislation, management, medical liability, marketing, physician recruitment, compensation and productivity, legal aspects of delivery systems, tax/financial issues, quality management and outcomes, population health, benchmarking and data analysis, recruitment and retention, communication, integration and care coordination, and value-based care.
 
With our readers hungry for practical information from their peers that they can apply to their own organizations—information that can potentially help them compete successfully in the business of healthcare delivery, AMGA is always in need of newsworthy features and commentary from our members best thought leaders.
 
If interested in contributing to the Group Practice Journal, please submit queries, outlines, drafts, or completed manuscripts to Editor-in-Chief Tom Flatt at tflatt@amga.org. For full details about submitting, including editorial guidelines and an editorial calendar with submission deadlines, visit amga.org/gpj.

AMGA has announced it has received funding (from Pfizer) for a study to help health system leaders and clinicians anticipate and mitigate potential health threats for patients with type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The study will describe the impact of COVID-19 focused specifically on patients with type 2 diabetes. AMGA Analytics will analyze data from the electronic health records of approximately 20 million patients receiving care at 20 geographically diverse AMGA member organizations who participate in the Collaborative for Performance Excellence.
 
The study will describe changes in routine clinical care for patients with type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions before, during, and potentially after, the COVID-19 pandemic. AMGA will look at visit types, scope, and frequency as well as lab results (e.g., HbA1c, lipids, triglycerides, urine testing), clinical observations (e.g., blood pressure, BMI, changes in volumes, frequencies, and types of tests conducted, recorded, or collected), and prescribed medication patterns to determine the impact on chronic disease management for patients and their providers.
 
When the coronavirus (COVID-19) struck, many AMGA member organizations had to defer large numbers of in-person ambulatory visits. Members have adapted well, rapidly converting in-person visits to telehealth appointments. Telemedicine and e-health have been a vital link to essential health care services for many patients during this crisis.
 
For at-risk patients with chronic conditions who need to stay safe at home, telemedicine is a critical tool for accessing care. However, the disruptions of the pandemic present new challenges for treating patients with chronic conditions. These patients are often seen more frequently by health professionals and benefit from care coordination when multiple healthcare providers are involved in their care.
 
For example, patients in advanced stages of type 2 diabetes might see a primary care physician, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, and even a nephrologist. All patients with type 2 diabetes need regular monitoring of blood pressure, blood glucose, and periodic assessment for risk of micro- and macro-vascular complications. Frequent contact, combined with access to labs, testing, and colleagues, enable providers to stay up-to-date on a patient’s status, and as needed, they can make appropriate therapeutic adjustments to minimize risk and optimally manage a patient’s care.
 
The extent to which COVID-19 has limited access to physician and ancillary services for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions is still unknown. But chronically ill patients are often the “canaries in the coal mine,” who suffer most when health systems are overwhelmed and this has many physicians worried about the health of their most vulnerable patients.
 
For more information contact: research@amga.org.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Member Abbott has announced it has finalized an agreement with Tandem Diabetes Care to develop and commercialize integrated diabetes solutions that combine Abbott's leading continuous glucose monitoring technology with Tandem's innovative insulin delivery systems to provide more options for people to manage their diabetes.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner AbbVie has announced a broad oncology collaboration with Genmab to jointly develop and commercialize three of Genmab's early-stage investigational bispecific antibody product candidates and enter into a discovery research collaboration for future differentiated antibody therapeutics for cancer.

Ballad Health and East Tennessee State University have announced a new partnership that will establish a first-of-its-kind institute to promote the awareness and empirical study of adverse childhood experiences, otherwise known as ACEs.

Billings Clinic has announced a six-year partnership with TransformativeMed, a company that enhances electronic health records (EHRs) with directly embedded apps, to optimize its EHR workflow, improve physician and nurse experience, and ensure patient safety. The partnership with TransformativeMed includes implementing all applications within its Core Work Manager suite—including Core Work Manager Mobile, Core Messaging and Core Notify—as well as its new Core COVID-19 App, all of which empower seamless communication across care teams.

Hackensack Meridian Health researchers and doctors have announced that by sequencing entire genomes for DNA modifications, and analyzing both cancer tissues and healthy ones, they have found what could be a key to risks for cancer and other diseases: specific locations in the DNA where those expression changes (methylation) are imbalanced, according to a new publication. The most strongly disease-relevant genetic variants can be hard to localize in widespread scanning of the genome – but by zooming in on key genetic locations associated with these DNA methylation imbalances in multiple normal and cancer tissues, the scientists report they have uncovered promising new leads beneath the broader statistical signals.

Jefferson Health has announced that as restrictions ease throughout the country, it has announced a partnership with Aramark, a global leader in food, facilities management, and uniforms, to launch EverSafe(TM)OS, a workplace safety digital product that offers a suite of simple, streamlined tools and resources for businesses and organizations, to empower employees and customers with confidence in their safety.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Member Pfizer has announced the establishment of the Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative, through which Pfizer will invest up to $500 million in biotechnology companies to help provide funding and access to Pfizer’s scientific expertise to ensure continuity of the biotechnology companies’ most promising clinical development programs.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Premier Inc. has announced it has launched Intersectta(R), a new oncology-focused group purchasing organization (GPO) to source cancer and other specialty drugs. Through this program, Premier plans to strike innovative new partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, putting branded products on negotiated contracts at competitive prices. In addition, Premier will provide participants access to robust market data to better understand real-world prescribing, utilization and off-label trends.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Optum has partnered with Wider Circle, a tech-enabled community-based healthcare services company that drives better health for older adults and other vulnerable communities, as well as with Helping Hands Community, to launch the “Community Food Circle” initiative to bring food to thousands of Optum patients in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative supports Optum’s goal of helping people reach their health and well-being goals, including addressing social determinants of health.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner UnitedHealthcare has announced it has reached $500 million in affordable housing investments, with an announcement today of a $100 million investment in the Health & Housing Fund — a partnership with Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future and National Affordable Housing Trust. This investment will bring more than 1,000 new homes to older adults and families struggling with housing insecurity. UnitedHealth Group, with its UnitedHealthcare and Optum businesses, will also provide an additional $1 million in grants to support on-site health-related services for residents.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has announced that investigators have used high-throughput robotic technology to rapidly study and classify variations in a gene linked to heart rhythm disorders and cardiac conditions. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics, support continued use of the technology to understand genetic mutations and improve the accuracy and scope of genetic medicine. Additionally the results of a five-year study have found that a pair of ultra-thin electrodes surgically implanted deep into the brain might slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Finally, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Purdue University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have isolated human monoclonal antibodies that potentially can prevent a rare but devastating polio-like illness in children linked to a respiratory viral infection. The illness, called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), causes sudden weakness in the arms and legs following a fever or respiratory illness.
 

Henry Ford Health System has announced Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, senior vice president of community health and equity, and chief wellness and diversity officer, has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the most 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives of 2020.
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus (IFMC) has been named to the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list.
Ochsner Health System has announced that for the fourth consecutive year, Ochsner Hospital for Children has been named among the top 50 children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
 
Modern Healthcare recently recognized several AMGA member leaders in its annual 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives of 2020. The list of names included:
Atrius Health President and CEO Dr. Steven Strongwater; ChristianaCare President and CEO Janice E. Nevin; Cleveland Clinic President and CEO Dr. Tomislav Mihalievic; Dartmouth-Hitchcock President and CEO Dr. Joanne Conroy; Geisinger Health President and CEO Dr. Jaewon Ryu; Intermountain Healthcare President and CEO Dr. Mark Harrison; Jefferson Health CEO Dr. Stephan Klasko; Marshfield Clinic Health System CEO Dr. Susan Turney; Mayo Clinic President and CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia; Permanente Medical Group CEO and Executive Director Dr. Richard Isaacs; and Virginia Mason CEO and Chairman Dr. Gary Kaplan.
 

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Allscripts has announced the appointment of Beth Altman to its Board of Directors. A former executive at accounting firm KPMG LLP, Altman has more than 25 years of experience in accounting, finance, management, business development, strategic planning and corporate governance.
Cleveland Clinic has announced that Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, has been named chief caregiver officer.
Billings Clinic has named Mary Albers as its new chief operating officer, effective mid-August 2020.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner CliftonLarsonAllen has announced that Doreen Shite, managing principle of the organization’s federal government team, has been appointed national treasurer-elect designate for the Association of Government Accountants, by the association’s National Governing Board.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Indivior has announced the appointment of Mark Crossley as the organization’s chief executive officer. Crossley had previously served as Indivior’s chief financial and operations officer and executive director since 2017, and was the chief strategy officer from 2014-2017.
The Iowa Clinic has announced that its Board of Directors has named Ben Vallier, MBA, as it new chief executive officer.

BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital has announced that Tom Garthwaite as the new president of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Summit Therapeutics has announced that Michael Donaldson has been appointed as the organization’s chief financial officer.
Watson Clinic has announced a new addition to its team of providers: Paula S. Wibowo, APRN, a registered nurse practitioner who works alongside board-certified gastroenterologist Victor C. Nwakakwa, MD.

Western Washington Group has announced that Lloyd David will serve as its president, with responsibility for both The Polyclinic and The Everett Clinic. He will guide the operations and success of both groups. The COOs, CMOs, and CFOs of both organizations will report directly to David.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner WittKieffer has announced Zachary A. Smith, PhD, as managing partner of its Education Practice.
 

Renewals
AMGA would like to thank the following groups who have renewed their membership this month and for continuing to help us make multispecialty medical groups and other organized systems of care the preferred delivery system for coordinated, patient-centered, efficient, quality medical care in America.

 

Groups of 3-50 FTE Physicians

• Tri-State Memorial Hospital – Clarkston, Washington
• Shore Physicians Group – Somers Point, New Jersey
• Western Montana Clinic – Missoula, Montana

Groups of 51-150 FTE Physicians

• Beloit Health System – Beloit, Wisconsin
• Children’s Primary Care Medical Group – San Diego, California
• Christie Clinic, LLC – Champaign, Illinois
• Mankato Clinic, Ltd. – Mankato, Minnesota
• Riverside Medical Clinic – Riverside, California
• The Jackson Clinic, P.A. – Jackson, Tennessee
• The Iowa Clinic, P.C.  – West Des Moines, Iowa
• University of Utah Community Clinics – Salt Lake City, Utah
• Westmed Medical Group, P.C – Purchase, New York

Groups of 151-500 FTE Physicians

• Billings Clinic – Billings, Montana
• Cambridge Health Alliance Physicians Organization – Malden, Massachusetts
• CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Hospital & Clinics – Tyler, Texas
• Guthrie Clinic, Ltd. – Sayre, Pennsylvania
• INTEGRIS Medical Group – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Methodist Physicians Clinic – Omaha, Nebraska
• Mercy Medical Group (CA) – Sacramento, California
• OSF Medical Group – Peoria, Illinois
• Riverside Medical Group – Newport News, Virginia
• Springfield Clinic, LLP – Springfield, Illinois
• Virginia Mason Medical Center – Seattle, Washington
• Tulane University Medical Group – New Orleans, Louisiana  
• Virginia Mason Medical Center – Seattle, Washington

Groups of 501-1,000 FTE Physicians

• Ballad Health – Kingsport, Tennessee
• Baptist Health Medical Group  – Louisville, Kentucky
• Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Group – Edison, New Jersey
• Lahey Hospital and Medical Center – Burlington, Massachusetts
• Texas Health Physician Group – Arlington, Texas
• Seton Healthcare Family – Austin, Texas
• St. Luke’s Physician Group – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group – Burlington, Vermont
• Wellstar Health System – Marietta, Georgia

Groups of 1001-1,500 FTE Physicians

• Lehigh Valley Physician Group – Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Intermountain Medical Group – Salt Lake City, Utah

Groups of 1501-2,000 FTE Physicians

• HealthPartners Care Group – Minneapolis, Minnesota
• UW Health – Middleton, Wisconsin

Groups of 3001-3,500 FTE Physicians

• Cleveland Clinic – Cleveland, Ohio

Premier Corporate Partners

• Exact Sciences – Madison, Wisconsin
• Lightbeam Health Solutions – Irving, Texas

Executive Corporate Partners

• Witt/Kieffer Inc. – Oak Brooks, Illinois

* Denotes IPA conversion
­
For more information on AMGA Membership, please contact Bill Baron at 703.838.0033, ext. 336 or wbaron@amga.org.
 
New Council Members
 
CAO/COO Council

• Susan Aloi, FACMPE, PhD – Chief Operating Officer, Western Connecticut Medical Group; Bethel, Connecticut
• Amie Bodi - Associate Vice President, Acute Care & Hospitalists, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon
• Dan Bragg, CMPE, CPA - Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, State of Franklin Healthcare Associates, PLLC; Johnson City, Tennessee
• Sean Ging -  Executive Director, Operations, Inova; Falls Church, Virginia
• Kelsey Larsen - COO, Renown Medical Group; Reno, Nevada
• Walter LeStrange - Chief Administrative Officer, Western Connecticut Medical Group; Bethel, Connecticut
• Courtney Maksimowicz - Associate Vice President of Clinic Operations, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon
• Stephanie Maxon - Associate Vice President of Clinic Operations, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon
• Vanitha Pushparaj - AVP of Faculty Practice Operations, Montefiore Medical Center; Bronx, New York
• Jennifer Will - Associate Vice President of Clinic Operations, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon

CMO Council

• Brent Godek, MD - Senior Medical Director, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon
• Kristy Jessop-Shankowski, MD - Senior Medical Director, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon
• Sid Johnson, MD - Chief Medical Officer; Surgical Chief, Straub Clinic & Hospital; Honolulu, Hawaii
• Kenneth Nakamura, MD - Chief Medical Officer, Straub Clinic & Hospital; Honolulu, Hawaii
• Sandra Noon, MD - Chief of Primary Care, Hawaii Pacific Health Medical Group, Straub Clinic & Hospital; Honolulu, Hawaii
• Barry Smith - Senior Medical Director, Samaritan Health Physicians; Albany, Oregon
• Geri Young, MD - Chief Medical Officer, Straub Clinic & Hospital; Honolulu, Hawaii

Emerging Leaders Council

• Marisa Emmons, MD - Vice President of Operations, CHRISTUS Physician Group; Irving, Texas

Government Relations Council

• Adam Williams - Director of Payer Relations and Business Services, Granger Medical Clinic; West Jordan, Utah

Marketing/Public Relations Council

• Andrea Mokros - Chief Public Affairs Officer, Fairview Health Services; Saint Paul, Minnesota

Quality Council

• Marisa Emmons, MD - Vice President of Operations, CHRISTUS Physician Group; Irving, Texas
• Christina Phares - Quality Manager, Kettering Physician Network; Miamisburg, Ohio

Women in Leadership Council

• Marisa Emmons, MD - Vice President of Operations, CHRISTUS Physician Group; Irving, Texas

For more information on AMGA Leadership Councils, visit www.amga.org or contact Joe DeLisle, 703.838.0033 ext. 355.