Newswise — ALEXANDRIA, VA-The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) announced the new officers of its Board of Directors, to begin their tenure in January 2014. The Board of Directors represents the leadership of some of AMGA's most prominent member medical groups.
• Chair: Howard B. Graman, M.D., FACP, Chief Executive Officer, PeaceHealth Medical Group• Chair Elect: Don L. Wreden, M.D., Chief Medical Group Transformation Officer, Sutter Health • Secretary: Donn E. Sorensen, M.B.A., FACMPE, President, East Communities, Mercy• Treasurer: Norman H. Chenven, M.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Austin Regional Clinic• At-Large Member: Barbara A. Walters, D.O., M.B.A., Executive Medical Director, Dartmouth-Hitchcock• Immediate Past Chair: Michael W. Bukosky, M.S.H.A, FACMPE, Chief Executive Officer, University of Louisville Physicians• President and Chief Executive Officer: Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Medical Group Association
Howard B. Graman, M.D., FACP, Chief Executive Officer, PeaceHealth Medical GroupDr. Graman is CEO of PeaceHealth Medical Group, a 700-provider multispecialty group with operations in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. He is helping to lead the transformation of a 9-hospital healthcare system with regionally distinct medical groups into a single medical group with closer integration into the hospital system. For the 5 years prior to this position, he served as Chair of Primary Care and Regional Medicine at Carilion Clinic, in Roanoke, VA, as an integral part of Carilion's senior management team. There he was engaged in transforming a traditional hospital system with employed physicians into a physician-led multispecialty "Clinic Model" organization. Before being recruited to Carilion, Dr. Graman was at Cleveland Clinic, where he served in roles as Medical Director of Cleveland Clinic Strongsville, a family health and surgery center, and then as Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston. Dr Graman joined The University of Vermont as a clinician educator in the division of general internal medicine in 1978 after completing his residency at the University of Michigan and serving 2 years in a medical shortage area as part of the National Health Service Corps. At UVM, his focus was in practicing and teaching medicine with a specific academic interest in the doctor-patient relationship. He helped create and taught in UVM medical school's interviewing course and was instrumental in bringing the use of videotaped interactions into residency training. Dr. Graman has also trained physicians nationally to teach interviewing skills in their respective institutions and has served as a consultant for several large medical groups by providing seminars to their employed physicians on doctor-patient communication skills as a Fellow of the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare.
Don L. Wreden, M.D., Chief Medical Group Transformation Officer, Sutter HealthDr. Wreden is chief medical group transformation officer at Sutter Health. He is a physician board-certified in Internal Medicine and previously served as President and CEO at Sutter Medical Group (SMG). Dr. Wreden has practiced internal medicine in Sacramento since 1985. In 2001, he was named president and CEO of Sutter Medical Group. From 1997 to 2007, he served on the board of directors of Sutter Health. During those 10 years, Sutter Health grew to be the 7th largest not-for-profit healthcare system in the United States and greatly enhanced its culture of physician integration. While on the Sutter Health Board, Dr. Wreden served as chairman of the Public Policy Council for two years. He also served on the finance committee, governance committee, and quality review committee. Since Dr. Wreden assumed leadership of SMG in 2001, it has grown from 150 to more than 500 physicians, now caring for 600,000 patients. SMG has been recognized in multiple years since 2004 as one of the top-performing medical groups in California based on quality measures and patient satisfaction by California's Integrated Healthcare Association. For its successes, SMG, together with Sutter Medical Foundation, have received the Sutter Health President's Award 5 times since 2004 for most outstanding performance as a physician organization. Dr. Wreden holds a Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College. He completed his medical education at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and completed his residency and chief residency at the University of Arizona affiliated hospitals.
Donn E. Sorensen, M.B.A., FACMPE, President East Region, Mercy Mr. Sorensen was named president of Mercy's East Region in March 2012. He had been vice president/COO of Mercy Clinic since 2010. He was formerly Executive Vice President of St. John's Health System in Springfield, Missouri. He joined St. John's Health System in January 2000 as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of St. John's Clinic, a 470-physician multispecialty group practice in Southwest Missouri and Northern Arkansas. Mr. Sorensen began his career in health care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He also served as the Administrator, Secretary/Treasurer of the Center for Urological Treatment and Research in Nashville, TN; Administrator of the Ochsner Clinic of Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge, LA; and Vice President of Practice Operations for Premier Practice Management, Inc. in San Diego, CA. He has been published in the Missouri Medicine Journal, Physician Executive, Group Practice Journal, and twice in the Medical Group Management Association Connexion. Mr. Sorensen is a member and fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives. He is an advocate and supporter of AMGA serving on the Board of Directors, and Past Chair of the AMGA CAO/COO Council. His dedication to the Springfield community has been and is currently demonstrated by his leadership and involvement in various organizations such as: The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors; Missouri State University - Mountain Grove, Advisory Board; Missouri State University, Adjunct Professor, School of Business; Junior League of Springfield, Advisory Board; Springfield Public Schools Foundation, Board of Directors; Sigma Iota Epsilon, Zeta Lambda Chapter, The Kitchen Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors; and Make a Wish Foundation, Board of Directors.
Norman H. Chenven, M.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Austin Regional ClinicDr. Chenven is the founder and chief executive officer of Austin Regional Clinic (ARC), a 320-physician multispecialty medical group that serves the greater Austin, TX metropolitan area with 18 clinical locations. ARC provides care to approximately 250,000 Central Texans in six cities. He is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Covenant Management Systems (CMS), an Austin-based third-party administrator and medical management organization that provides technical support and services to governmental and employer-based health plans. Dr. Chenven served as the first Medical Director of PruCare of Austin, a group model HMO that brought managed care to Austin in 1980. In 1987 he was appointed Medical Director of Prudential Plus of Austin. He is President of Austin Regional Independent Associates (ARIA), a local independent practice association that develops and provides physician networks for partially self-insured ERISA plans. Dr. Chenven is a member of the Travis County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, Texas and American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Medical Association. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Travis County Medical Society and Texas Academy of Family Physicians and an alternate delegate to the Texas Medical Association. Dr. Chenven is a Board Certified Family Practitioner who spent two years in the U.S. Indian Health Service on the western Navaho Reservation before moving to Austin in 1973 to begin his medical practice. He has participated on various boards and advisory councils including Texas Medical Association's Select Committee on Patient Safety, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas' Physician Advisory Council, United Healthcare's National Physician Advisory Council, the Group Practice Advisory Committee to American Medical Association Board of Trustees, CIGNA's National Physician Advisory Committee, and the Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP). Dr. Chenven recently stepped down after a three-year stint as a board member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Chamber's Education and Workforce Development Council. He received his undergraduate degree in physics from Brown University, medical degree from the State University of New York Medical Science Center in Brooklyn, and post-graduate training at Bexar County Hospital in San Antonio, TX.
Barbara A. Walters, D.O., M.B.A., Executive Medical Director, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Dr. Walters is executive medical director at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and medical director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock "Health Plan," a new virtual initiative for the organization. She has operational and profit-and-loss responsibility for the organization's ambulatory sites in the community group practices. These are 18 sites with $300 million in revenue, one million visits per year, and 1,800 staff, including 400 providers. Areas of responsibility include commercial contracting, information technology oversight, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, population health, Regional Primary Care Coordinating Committee, strategic plan oversight, Clinical Transformation Governance Group, and principal investigator for the CMS Physician Group Practice Demonstration Project. She has held this position since 2004, after joining the organization in 1998 as medical director, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Southern NH Community Group Practices. Prior to joining Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Dr. Walters served as medical director at different levels at the Carolina Permanente Medical Group, Raleigh, NC. She began at the group as Chief of Mental Health Services in 1989. Prior to that organization, she was a psychiatrist at the Kaiser and Wake Mental Health Center in Raleigh. Dr. Walters serves as principal investigator on the Cigna Medical Home Pilot Project and the CMs Physician Group Practice Demonstration Project. She has also been principal investigator on grants focused on ambulatory electronic medical record medication management; prescribing and ambulatory medication order entry; and development and implementation of Patient-on-line, an interactive patient web portal that supports secure clinical communications. Dr. Walters received her undergraduate degree from Wayne State, Detroit, MI. She received her D.O. from Michigan State University, did her internship at Lansing General Hospital, and completed her residency at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She also holds an M.B.A. from Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Dr. Walters belongs to American Medical Association, American College of Physician Executives, American Osteopathic Association, New Hampshire Medical Society, American Psychiatric Association, and American Medical Women's Association. She currently serves on the boards of the New Hampshire Foundation for Healthy Communities, Child and Family Services of NH, Group Practice Improvement Network. She has served on the NH Governor's Task Force for Administrative Simplifications and the NH Department of Insurance Data Task Force. She was appointed and still serves on the Citizens Health Initiative.
Michael W. Bukosky, M.S.H.A., FACMPE, Chief Executive Officer, University of Louisville PhysiciansMr. Bukosky has more than 30 years of strategic and operational experience in the healthcare industry. He has served in senior leadership roles in some of the nation's largest and most prestigious multispecialty group practices. Currently he serves as CEO at University of Louisville Physicians, the clinical practice association for the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. Among the responsibilities of his position, he serves as the senior business leader; manages the integration of the PSCs into a unified, collaborative and highly effective faculty group practice; develops new organizational, management and operations structures; and builds the processes and supporting infrastructure required for an integrated group practice. Prior to this position, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at the Carle Clinic Association. Prior to joining Carle Clinic Association in 2001, he served as Executive Director for Scott and White Clinic in Temple, TX. While there, Bukosky was responsible for day-to-day operations for the entire clinic and led group practice acquisition and development strategy which significantly expanded the clinic's service area. Mr. Bukosky received his B.S. in Business Administration from King's College and his Master of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from Southwest Texas State University. He is a Fellow in the American College of Medical Group Practice Administrators, a member of the Medical Group Management Association, and has been a contributing member of AMGA's Public Policy Committee. An active community member, Mr. Bukosky has served in numerous leadership roles on the City of Temple Capital Improvement Task Force, Leadership Temple, Central Texas Youth Softball and Ralph Wilson Youth Club. He has served as the president of Temple Junior College Foundation, Vice Chair of Governmental Affairs for the Temple Chamber of Commerce and Adjunct Professor at Southwest Texas State University.
Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Medical Group AssociationDr. Fisher is the president and chief executive officer of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA). Dr. Fisher has been CEO of the organization (formerly the American Group Practice Association, Inc.) since October 1980. Dr. Fisher also serves as Chairman of the Board of AMGA's subsidiary Anceta, a health informatics company engaged in the development and utilization of a national data warehouse comprised of comprehensive, longitudinal patient healthcare information. Other AMGA-related offices include the Secretary of the American Medical Group Foundation and President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Medical Group Corporation. Prior to becoming the CEO of AMGA, Dr. Fisher served as the first Executive Director of the American Academy of Physician Assistants in Alexandria, VA. Dr. Fisher is very active in other organizations, in particular those dealing with health care. He serves as immediate past chair and a member of the Board of Directors of the American International Health Alliance; a member of the American Association of Medical Society Executives; a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives; and a member of the American Society of Association Executives. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the WashingtonFirst Bank. Dr. Fisher earned a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry from Millsaps College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Anatomy from the School of Medicine of the University of Mississippi. He is a Certified Association Executive as designated by the American Society of Association Executives.
About AMGAThe American Medical Group Association (AMGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing medical groups, health systems, and other organized systems of care, including some of the nation's largest, most prestigious integrated delivery systems. AMGA is a leading voice in advocating for efficient, team-based, and accountable care. AMGA members encompass all models of organized systems of care in the healthcare industry, including: physician-owned, independent group practices, integrated delivery systems, hospital-affiliated medical groups, independent practice associations (IPAs), academic and faculty practices, accountable care organizations, and high-performing health systems. More than 130,000 physicians practice in AMGA member organizations, providing healthcare services for 120 million patients (approximately one in three Americans). Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for these organizations, providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs, publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org
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