After a series of successful keynote sessions featuring nationally-recognized thought leaders sharing strategies for embracing change and thriving in a post-pandemic world, AMGA IQL Virtual: Transformation and Innovation Post COVID-19 will continue with live broadcast breakout session each Tuesday and Thursday through Oct. 29.

These sessions feature executives from the nation's top healthcare systems sharing knowledge and strategies. A full list of peer-to-peer breakouts, including speakers, descriptions, and learning objectives, is available here.

For more information or to register, please visit amga.org/IQL20,or contact Isiah Jordan at ijordan@amga.org or 703.838.0033 ext. 322.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have stated that smokers are at greater risk of developing severe complications with COVID-19. The evidence that is emerging suggests not only are they are more susceptible than non-smokers to contracting COVID-19, if they get sick, they experience more severe symptoms, have higher rates of hospitalization, and have higher rates of mortality. Smoking tobacco is already a risk factor for bacterial and viral respiratory infections. People who smoke tobacco are five times more likely to contract influenza and two times more likely to develop pneumonia than non-smokers. Smoking also causes vascular endothelial damage, a hallmark of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Despite these risks, few smokers seem to be trying to beat the habit during the pandemic. Sales of cigarettes have increased and the Yelp Coronavirus Economic Impact Report, shows that views and reviews on tobacco store listings increased by 120% since March.

A timely new analysis has been prepared by AMGA, in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Medical Institute’s Center for Value-Based Care Research. “Variation in Patient Smoking Cessation Rates Among Health Care Providers: An Observation Study” is available online now and will appear in the journal CHEST®, of the American College of Chest Physicians. The analysis looks at patterns of smoking cessation across and within 20 AMGA member organizations. Dr. Michael Rothberg, Vice Chair of Research at the Medical Institute of Cleveland Clinic and Elizabeth Ciemins, AMGA Vice President of Research and Analytics led the study on behalf of their respective organizations.

The study found widespread variation in smoking cessation rates at the health system, practice and provider level using EHR data from one million primary care patients at 20 AMGA health systems. Adjusted quit rates ranged from 14.3% – 34.5 across the 20 health systems, 4.5% to 66.4% among 1,399 practice sites and 4.3% – 86.9% among 3,803 health care providers. Only 10.2% of patients who smoked received prescriptions for smoking deterrents and a mere 3.9% received referrals for smoking cessation counseling.

The investigators used logistic regression to predict characteristics of patients who are more likely to quit smoking. One characteristic was the high number of smoking-related comorbidities.  This suggests some patients may be more receptive to quitting, when they are aware of how smoking can increase the severity of symptoms and outcomes associated with COVID-19. Health systems and clinicians can use this window of opportunity to encourage them to live a tobacco-free life.

Here are some things you can do with patients who smoke:

1. Document patient’s use of tobacco in their medical record.
2. Address tobacco use with all smokers at every visit (including telehealth and emergency visits) and offer guidance, with specific and personalized recommendations.
3. Ask patients who are symptomatic and may have COVID19 if they smoke or vape and take risks into account in treatment decisions.
4. Share information about the use of tobacco and COVID-19 severity in addition to the benefits of tobacco cessation (e.g., patient portals, social media, newsletter, or email).
5. Always have smoking cessation resources on-hand for patients.
6. Refer patients to smoking cessation services. (If you do not offer these services, compile a list of local programs that do and provide referrals.)
7. Discuss over-the-counter options or prescription medications that offer pharmacological therapy when this aligns with your patient's needs.
8. Based on results of this study, identify providers or practices who are more successful at getting their patients to quit smoking and learn from them, aka, the Positive Deviant Approach.

For questions about the AMGA/Cleveland Clinic study email: Research@amga.org.

AMGA’s 2020 Annual Conference peer-to-peer breakout sessions are now available on-demand, available at any time to earn CME credit. These sessions offer an easy way to learn about cutting-edge strategies and stay current on best practices from leading provider organizations.

Over 20 breakout sessions outline innovations in medical group management, operations, patient engagement, and technology from the nation’s most respected healthcare organizations. These tracks include:

• Leadership, Governance, and Culture
• Operations and Finance
• Technology and Innovation
• Patient-Centered Care

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.

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.

IQL20 Virtual: Transformation and Innovation Post COVID-19
Virtual
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 Jerry Penso will moderate a fireside chat, entitled “The Future of Value.” To register or for more information, visit www.valuesummit.org.

Regional/Targeted Meetings

Great Lakes Regional Meeting
Tuesdays, Oct. 20, Oct. 27, Nov. 3, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Central

Southern Regional Meeting
Tuesdays, Oct. 20, Oct. 27, Nov. 3, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.  Central

Northeast Regional Meeting
Fridays, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13,  10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Eastern

Central Regional Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18, 10 am. – 11 am Central

Northwest Regional Meeting
Fridays, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, 9 am. -10 a.m. Pacific

Southeast Regional Meeting
Fridays, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, 12 p.m. – 1 pm. Eastern

Midwest Regional Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Central

Webinars

Point of Care Support: Decisions for Better Workflow and Planning
Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. ET
Kimberly Hansen, Director of Point of Care Solutions, UnitedHealthcare
Our industry is feeling the pain of enormous administrative burden and inefficiencies in an ecosystem that is made up of disparate parts with little coordination and each taking time and energy away from providers caring for their patients. In order to make effective point-of-care decisions, providers, patients, payers, and other service providers must have complete and accurate information that is readily accessible. UnitedHealthcare is committed to serving care providers by introducing new ways to simplify and personalize the system, facilitate real-time data capture and bi-directional exchange to enhance the quality, improve the experience and optimize clinical decision-making. The Point of Care Solutions session will show how UnitedHealthcare is creating a system for the care provider community that will facilitate seamless and more intelligent interactions. Point of Care Assist encompasses a portfolio of services designed to streamline daily workflow, improve patient care, and reduce physician burnout. Attendees will learn how this solution can be directly within their Electronic Medical Record.

Improving Clinical and Economic Outcomes with Nutrition Care: Real World Evidence from US Hospitals and Primary Care Clinics
Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. ET
Kirk Kerr, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Global Health Economics & Outcomes Research, Abbott Nutrition; Suela Sulo, Ph.D., Director, Global Health Economics & Outcomes Research, Abbott Nutrition
Value-based healthcare encourages primary care providers to refocus on the fundamentals of good health, with diet and lifestyle at the forefront. Poor nutrition is a common occurrence in the outpatient setting in patients with chronic conditions as well as those recently discharged from the hospital. Up to 1 in 3 older adults is either at risk of becoming or is already is poorly nourished. Nutritional interventions, including the use of oral nutritional supplements and/or meal replacements, is a low-cost, low-risk solution clinically proven to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, yet is rarely incorporated into patient-centered care to achieve these goals.
This webinar will demonstrate how a large hospital system and a primary care practice adopted a nutrition quality improvement program consisting of early identification of nutrition risk, intervention and education to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

Later this month, AMGA, will release for download, the Obesity Care Model playbook, a first-of-its-kind primer for implementing a proven program for the treatment of overweight and obesity. AMGA collaborated with 10 high-performing healthcare organizations to develop a model of care for implementing adult obesity programs for medical groups and health systems in primary care. The development of the playbook is part of a broader effort to share their successful strategies with organizations interested in implementing obesity care management programs in their systems.

The playbook highlights practical and actionable interventions that have been tested and proven to yield positive outcomes by the 10 organizations that participated in AMGA Foundation’s Obesity Care Model Collaborative (OCMC). To demonstrate how implementation might look, interventions are accompanied by several examples provided by OCMC participants. The playbook also features a host of additional tools and resources.

Upon its release, the playbook will be available to all members, at no added cost. This resource will be available at www.amga.org/obesity.

Overall results from AMGA’s 2020 Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey, now available for purchase in both online and print formats, highlight the continuing multi-year trend of provider compensation increases without corresponding increases in productivity.

Based on 2019 compensation data, the survey shows that while overall provider pay increased by 3.79% last year, work relative value unit (wRVU) production remained stagnant, increasing just 0.56%, according to the analysis by AMGA Consulting.

“We have now seen this same trend of divergent key metrics for several years in a row, and we have to wonder how long it can continue, given that the vast majority of revenue is still, by and large, generated via work RVU productivity,” said Fred Horton, M.H.A., AMGA Consulting president. “AMGA’s members are concerned about this ongoing trend, and we suspect the industry-wide response to COVID-19 will speed up efforts to mitigate this pattern.”

Now in its 33^rd year, the 2020 edition provides benchmarks based on data from more than 317 medical groups and more than 127,000 providers across the country. Covering 169 medical and surgical specialties, the survey trends highlight some key differences between the major specialty types in 2019.

• Primary Care Specialties: Median compensation for all primary care specialties increased by 4.46%, median productivity increased by 0.44%, and compensation per wRVU increased by 2.6%.
• Medical Specialties. Median compensation for all medical specialties increased by 3.52% and median productivity rose 0.93%, while compensation per wRVU declined by 1.75%.
• Surgical Specialties. Median compensation for all surgical care specialties increased by 4.84% and median productivity increased by 1.95%, while compensation per wRVU declined by 0.40%.

These continuing trends are prompting increased pressure for more operational efficiency, according to Horton. Noting the uptick in revised care models and rapid telehealth expansion, Horton said “it is certain that change is taking place, but the ultimate landing place is far from clear.”

AMGA’s 2020 Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey is available on a new online platform with user-friendly tools for customized analysis and multiple display options. A print volume is also available for purchase by provider organizations only. Discounts are available for AMGA members. Order online access or your print copy here.

The T2G Talk & Taste is back for our fifth and final T2G National Day of Action! The past two years we’ve asked campaign participants to assemble their diabetes teams and discuss best practices in diabetes care over a healthy meal. On Nov. 5, we’re encouraging diabetes teams to comes together to watch a special T2G highlights video and celebrate their accomplishments throughout the campaign. We provide all the supporting materials in our downloadable T2G Talk & Taste kit, which can be tailored to both virtual and in-person events.

If you’re a T2G participant, be sure to let us know when your team plans to participate — RSVP with your name, organization name, and T2G Talk & Taste event information. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this year!

We invite you to share your insights with us in the final T2G fall survey! This brief survey (only seven questions) will take no more than a few minutes to complete and will help us shape the next national campaign. Help us glean what worked best from this campaign so we can incorporate best practices and lessons learned into the next one! Participate before the survey closes on Sept. 25.

Please note that this survey is intended to collect feedback from T2G campaign participants only. If you are a sponsor, partner, or other campaign stakeholder, we welcome your feedback, but kindly ask you to provide it via email.

The Hilton Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. At $2.5 million, the award is the world largest annual humanitarian honor presented to nonprofit organizations judged to have made extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering.

AMGA happily encourages its members to nominate an organization that has made outstanding strides in helping those less fortunate, particularly in light of the ongoing challenges brought on by COVID-19. Click here for the full list of rules regarding nominator qualifications and nominee eligibility.

All nominations must be submitted by Oct. 1, 11:59 p.m. PDT.

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 www.amga.org/acclaim for future updates.

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.

Industry sponsors have contributed innovative content available on our website:

• Change Healthcare: An Analytics-Driven Approach to Denial Management - The Denial Prevention Challenge
• Med Tech Solutions: Providers Don’t Go Into Medicine to Practice IT

 

The growth in telehealth among AMGA members due to COVID-19 is something members are planning to continue now that many have invested in this new and flexible technology. The growth in telehealth is likely to spark new digital health technologies to help increase provider confidence in managing and delivering quality care to patients from their homes.

AMGA will be studying one of these digital innovations, a Smartphone Urinalysis Kit by Healthy.io. The kit can be deployed and used at home and the results sent to the provider via Smartphone. AMGA will select an AMGA member with 3,000 to 5,000 at-risk patients to receive the home urinalysis kits for early screening and detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients who qualify must have type 2 diabetes or non-diabetic hypertension without an albumin-to-creatinine Ratio (ACR) or a proteinuria test within the past 12 months. Participating AMGA member group(s) will receive an honorarium of $10,000 to $15,000 (with EHR data integration).

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Numerous studies have shown the presence of albuminuria [albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) ≥ 30 mg/g or 1+ protein on dipstick] is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), mortality, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although albuminuria is one of the earliest signs of kidney disease, a majority of people at increased risk due to diabetes or hypertension do not get screened.

AMGA Analytics will conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis, working with one AMGA member to collect data from patients who receive the home testing kits over a 3-month period. We will evaluate variation across providers, patient profiles for both responders and non-responders, visit frequency and actions taken post urinalysis test.

For more information contact research@amga.org.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Corporate Partner Abbott has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its BinaxNOW(TM) COVID-19 Ag Card rapid test for detection of COVID-19 infection. Abbott will sell this test for $5. It is highly portable (about the size of a credit card), affordable and provides results in 15 minutes. With no equipment required, the device will be an important tool to manage risk by quickly identifying infectious people so they don't spread the disease to others. Abbott will also launch a complementary mobile app for iPhone and Android devices named NAVICA(TM). This first-of-its-kind app, available at no charge, will allow people who test negative to display a temporary digital health pass that is renewed each time a person is tested through their healthcare provider together with the date of the test result. Organizations will be able to view and verify the information on a mobile device to facilitate entry into facilities along with hand-washing, social distancing, enhanced cleaning and mask-wearing.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner AbbVie has announced a $30 million collaborative research alliance with Harvard University to study and develop novel therapies against emergent viral infections, with a focus on those caused by coronaviruses and by viruses that lead to hemorrhagic fever.

Adventist Health has announced a strategic partnership with Synchronous Health, a behavioral health company that combines the strength of human empathy with artificial intelligence (AI) to increase access and quality of behavioral health services, to provide customized behavioral healthcare and well-being solutions to key populations. Through the partnership, Synchronous Health and Adventist Health will co-develop behavioral health and well-being solutions to address the biggest drivers of health costs and community needs.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Allscripts has announced a partnership with Israel’s Sheba Medical Center accelerate the pace of artificial intelligence technologies and to improve patient care through the hospitals’ ARC Innovation Center. ARC, which is an acronym for accelerate, redesign, and collaborate, is the innovation arm of Sheba Medical Center which has a vision to transform healthcare by 2030.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner CareSignal has announced a partnership with Innovaccer, Inc. to address health care's urgent needs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, combining more than two dozen condition-specific patient monitoring programs with population health data insights for a more integrated frame of care and improved clinical outcomes.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has announced a research collaboration with Sherlock Biosciences, an engineering biology company dedicated to diagnostic testing, to launch a clinical study of the Sherlock(TM) CRISPR SARS-CoV-2 kit for the detection of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The kit, for which Sherlock Biosciences recently received Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will be used to test clinical samples from patients from Dartmouth member hospitals. Dartmouth has also begun research to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in municipal wastewater. With about 60 percent of COVID-19 patients shedding the virus in their waste, this research has the potential to serve as a valuable complement to human diagnostics, and an efficient, cost-effective and less invasive 'heads up' of a significant spread of the virus, especially in institutional settings.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Corporate Partner Merck & Co., Inc. has announced it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Hanmi Pharmaceuticals for the development, manufacture, and commercialization of efinopegdutide (formerly HM12525A),Hanmi’s investigational once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 glucagon receptor dual agonist, for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Holon Solutions has announced it has partnered with health IT provider Cerner Corporation to deliver contextually relevant patient information through its cloud-based population health platform.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Corporate Partner Jassen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that its parent company Johnson & Johnson has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company that discovers and develops novel therapies for immune-mediated diseases, for approximately $6.5 billion. The acquisition provides an opportunity for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson to broaden its leadership in immune-mediated diseases and drive further growth through expansion into autoantibody-driven disease.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Lilly USA, LLC has announced a global expansion of its strategic alliance with Innovent Biologics, Inc. for TYVYT(R), an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody immuno-oncology medicine that was co-developed by Innovent and Lilly in China.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Phreesia has announced it has partnered with AdventHealth to provide patients with a safe, contactless intake experience across more than 1,000 AdventHealth hospitals, physician practices and urgent care centers.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Roche has announced it is joining forces with Regeneron in the fight against COVID-19 to develop, manufacture and distribute REGN-COV2, Regeneron’s investigational antiviral antibody combination, to people around the globe.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Corporate Partner Sanofi has announced it has acquired the outstanding shares of Principia Biopharma Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for immune-mediated diseases, for $3.6 billion.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Uber Health has announced that it has expanded its services to include access to pharmaceutical delivery in Seattle and Dallas, with plans to grow in the coming months.

UnitedHealth has joined forces with the Morehouse School of Medicine to determine if people with sickle cell trait are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and if the trait results in more severe cases of the disease. While the effects of COVID-19 have global implications, national mortality rates due to COVID-19 have disproportionately impacted African Americans and other communities of color compared to the overall population. Sickle cell trait involves a genetic blood disorder estimated to be present in 1 in 12 African Americans. There is little information to date on how COVID-19 infections affect individuals with sickle cell trait.

ChristianaCare has announced that for the 17th consecutive year, it has been recognized as one of the top places to work in Delaware, according to Energage LLC, a research firm that analyzes organizational health.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, PC has announced is has been recognized as a Legal Influencers for Q2 in the area of health and life sciences Lexology, whose Content Marketing Awards recognize thought leaders in the legal industry who consistently provide useful, insightful legal analysis. Hall, Render has also announced that 36 of its attorneys have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America(R) 2021, and that attorneys Larry Coon and John Ryan were named the Best Lawyers(R) 2021 Milwaukee Health Care “Lawyer of the Year” and Best Lawyers(R) 2021 Indianapolis Health Care “Lawyer of the Year” respectively.

Henry Ford Allegiance Health has announced it has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Humana has announced that its division Humana Pharmacy, has been named the best in Mail Order Pharmacy customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study. It is the third consecutive year that Humana has received the honor.

Inova’s Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center has been recognized as a Partner in MS Care by the National MS Society. The national award recognizes healthcare providers as partners in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) care who demonstrate knowledge and expertise in treating people with MS. These providers have a relationship with the National MS Society which helps provide patients with the information, resources and support available to assist them in living their best lives.

AMGA Chairman’s Circle Corporate Partner Lightbeam Health Solutions has announced it has been selected for Inc. magazine’s 5000 list for the third consecutive year. The list is regarded as the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Allscripts has announced that Carol Zierhoffer has been named to the organization’s Board of Directors.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Ankura has announced that Don Agee has joined the firm as senior managing director. The company has also announced that it has appointed retired Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, USMC, to chief innovation and business intelligence officer.

Ascension Wisconsin has named Monica Hilt as its new chief operating officer. Hilt previously served as regional president of Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus and Ascension St Michaels Hospital.

Bassett Healthcare Network has announced its first appointments to a new network leadership team, a group of individuals who will work in various capacities to propel the network toward full integration, optimize core solutions, and position Bassett as a national player in healthcare delivery: Lisa Betrus, senior vice president, chief strategy and transformation officer. Cailin Purcell, vice president, chief of staff. Michael Thompson, vice president, systems improvement.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Boehringer Ingelheim has announced  that Jean-Michel Boers, U.S. country managing director, president and CEO, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

CareMount Medical has appointed Matthew Kamen to senior director.

Excela Health has named Jeffrey A. Tiesi, FACHE, as its new executive vice president and chief operating officer. Tiesi will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the health system.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, PC has announced several new additions to its firm: Julie Mitchell, who focuses her practice on a variety of health law matters, including licensing, certification, and accreditation; Megan Culp, who focuses her practice on health matters, including clinical services, fraud, abuse, Stark Law, and value-based payment models; and Cara Tolliver, whose practice focuses on health matters, concentrating on compliance-related matters in the life sciences space.

Henry Ford Health System has announced it has selected Heather Geisler as its next senior vice president and chief marketing, communications and experience officer. Geisler will will lead brand strategy and customer experience for the Detroit, MI based system.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Humana has announced its philanthropic arm The Humana Foundation, has elected Bettina Beech, University of Houston associate provost for planning and strategic initiatives, to its board of directors. Beech also currently serves as the associate dean for research and professor of health systems and population health sciences at the University of Houston College of Medicine.

Lee Health has announced that Mike Moss has been appointed as the new vice president of sales and marketing. Most recently, Moss served as system director for physician relations and business development for Lee Health.

Novant Health is pleased to announce Jason Bernd as president and chief operating officer of Novant HealthMatthews Medical Center. In this role, Bernd will lead overall hospital operations and collaborate with Novant Health Institutes and the Novant Health Medical Group to successfully implement strategic initiatives that align with the mission and vision of Novant Health.

AMGA Premier Corporate Partner Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation has announced that it has appointed Marc Boutin as its global head of patient engagement and advocacy. Boutin is currently CEO of the National Health Council.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Phreesia has announced it has named Allison Hoffman as its general counsel. In her role Hoffman will oversee Phreesia’s Legal, Compliance, Risk, Privacy, and Security teams.

AMGA Executive Corporate Partner Sheppard Mullin has announced that Saul S. Rostamian has the joined the firm’s Century City office as a partner. Sheppard Mullin has also announced that Dan Brown, a partner int eh firm’s Business Trial group, has been named the firm’s first dedicated Pro Bono Partner. Finally, Sheppard Mullin has announced that partner Samantha Grant has become Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law. Grant is the first woman of color to assume the role.

St. Vincent - The CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute has announced that cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Kenneth Howell to the largest and most diverse network of heart specialists in Arkansas.

Watson Clinic is pleased to introduce Melissa Ballengee, M.D., as the latest addition to its team of expert Family Medicine specialists.

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

• Bryan Physician Network – Lincoln, Nebraska
• Kaweah Delta Medical Foundation – Visalia, California
• Lakeshore Health Partners – Holland, Michigan
• Matthews-Vu Medical Group – Colorado Springs, Colorado
• The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center – Gainesville, Georgia
• Walla Walla Clinic – Walla Walla, Washington

Groups of 51-150 FTE Physicians

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation – Beverly Hills, California
• Harbin Clinic, LLC – Rome, Georgia
• PinnacleHealth Medical Group – Lemoyne, Pennsylvania
• Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon, Washington
• The Doctors Clinic – Silverdale, Washington
• Valley Medical Center – Renton, Washington

Groups of 151-500 FTE Physicians

• BayCare Medical Group – Clearwater, Florida
• Confluence Health – Wenatchee, Washington
• Crystal Run Healthcare – Middletown, New York
• Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, Inc – Honolulu, Hawaii
• Inova – Falls Church, Virginia
• Lexington Medical Center – West Columbia, South Carolina
• OU Physicians – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Scripps Coastal Medical Group – San Diego, California
• Summit Medical Group, P.A. – Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
• Sutter Gould Medical Foundation – Modesto, California
• Stormont-Vail HealthCare – Topeka, Kansas
• The Southeast Permanente Group – Atlanta, Georgia
• University of Mississippi Medical Center – Jackson, Mississippi

Groups of 501-1,000 FTE Physicians

• Scripps Medical Foundation – La Jolla, California
• Sutter Medical Foundation – Sacramento, California
• Washington Permanente Medical Group – Seattle, Washington

Groups of 1001-1,500 FTE Physicians

• Allina Health – Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Colorado Permanente Medical Group, P.C. – Denver, Colorado
• Geisinger – Danville, Pennsylvania
• Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group – Rockville, Maryland
• Northwest Permanente P.C. Physician & Surgeons – Portland, Oregon
• Privia Health – Arlington, Virginia

Groups of 1501-2,000 FTE Physicians

• Michigan Medicine – Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Medical College of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Groups of 4001-4,500 FTE Physicians

• The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. – Oakland, California
• Southern California Permanente Group – Pasadena, California

Premier Corporate Partners

• Amgen, Inc. – Thousand Oaks, California

Executive Corporate Partners

• CareSingal – Saint Louis, Missouri
• Navigant, A GuideHouse Company – Chicago, 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

APP Council

• Barb Winningham, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, FACNM - VP APP Executive, Community Health Network; Indianapolis, Indiana                                                      

CAO/COO Council

• Jamie Bishop - Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group; Rochester, New York
• Timothy Ko - Chief Financial Officer, Kettering Physician Network; Miamisburg, Ohio
• Rosalie  Long - COO, ColumbiaDoctors Faculty Practice Organization, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Tara Zimmerman - Interim Chief Operating Officer, UC Davis Health; Sacramento, California

CEO Council

• Victor Arnold - Executive Director, University Physicians of University of Missouri; Columbia, Missouri
• George  Cioffi, MD - President, ColumbiaDoctors Faculty Practice Organization, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Donna Lynne, DrPH - SVP and COO, CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Keren Rosenblum, MD - Chair of the Board, Vancouver Clinic, Inc.; Vancouver, Washington

CFO Council

• Robin Honig - CFO, Chief Business development Officer ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Beth Mayers - Chief Contracting Officer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York

CHRO Council

• Melissa  Gerdes-Leonard  - Exec Director of HR, ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York

CIO/CMIO Council

• Jeffery Clarke - CMIO, Confluence Health; Wenatchee, Washington
• Timothy Crimmins, MD - Chief Medical Informatics Office, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York

CMO Council

• David Buchholz, MD - Senior Founding Medical Director for Primary Care, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• David Buono, MD - Medical Director for Primary Care, CORE Physicians, LLC; Exeter, New Hampshire
• Jeffery Clarke - CMIO, Confluence Health; Wenatchee, Washington
• Shunichi Homma, MHCDS, MD - CMO, ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Keren Rosenblum, MD - Chair of the Board, Vancouver Clinic, Inc.; Vancouver, Washington

Council of Attorneys

• Beth Mayers - Chief Contracting Officer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Mary Squire - General Counsel, Revere Health; Provo, Utah

Emerging Leaders Council

• Tracey Schwartz - Director, Adult Specialty Operations, Seton Healthcare Family; Austin, Texas

Government Relations Council

• Ross Frommer - VP and Associate Dean, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York                   

Quality Council

• David Buchholz, MD - Senior Founding Medical Director for Primary Care; Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Therisia Gillette   - Chief Quality Officer, Columbia Doctors, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Brooke Johnson  - Quality Outcomes Specialist, Norton Medical Group; Louisville, Kentucky

Women in Leadership Council

• Melissa  Gerdes-Leonard  - Exec Director of HR, ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; New York, New York
• Kathy Jo Carstarphen, MD, MPH – Physician, Ochsner Health System; New Orleans, Louisiana
• Tracey Schwartz - Director, Adult Specialty Operations, Seton Healthcare Family; Austin, Texas

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