NEWPOINT - Key Persons
Dr. MacKinney specialties include value-based performance, new models of care, and physician-administration relationship building.
Dr. MacKinney has served on national committees for the Institute of Medicine, the Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Medical Association. He writes and speaks nationally on health system design, healthcare value, physician relationships, physician payment, and population-based healthcare. He is author or co-author of more than 50 publications, including the book, Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health.
Dr. MacKinney graduated from the Medical College of Ohio in 1982 and completed a family practice residency with the Mayo Clinic healthcare system in 1985. He maintains Family Practice Board certification and a Certificate of Added Qualifications in geriatrics. He continues to work as an emergency department physician in rural Minnesota. Dr. MacKinney received an M.S. in administrative medicine from the University of Wisconsin.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Regional and International Healthcare Leader
Alex brings a wide variety of hospital, healthcare and government experience to bear on helping organizations improve efficiency, profitability, patient satisfaction, and physician engagement.
Alex Valdez has been a regional and international healthcare leader, guiding healthcare organizations through growth, change, and affiliation for more than 30 years. Before joining NEWPOINT, Alex was a regional CEO and hospital administrator for CHRISTUS Health, working domestically and in Latin America. Prior to joining CHRISTUS Health Alex served as CEO of a safety net sole community provider Regional Medical Center. Alex also served the State of New Mexico holding several positions as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Human services State Agencies, General Counsel to Governor Garrey Carruthers, and as an attorney in both public and private practice.
While at CHRISTUS Health, Alex served as Gerente General (CEO) for Clinica San Carlos De Apoquindo, an acute care hospital in Santiago, Chile. Alex worked as a change agent CEO, and together with his executive team, the Hospital achieved measurable improvements including first time clinical accreditation, financial profit and the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan which resulted in significant improvements to the organization's culture and behavior, profitability, patient satisfaction, associate satisfaction and physician engagement. Also, Alex oversaw the planning and construction of a "Centro Medico" which serves as a Medical Center for Specialty Care.
From 2002 through 2013, Alex served St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, first as General Counsel and Vice President for Government Relations and then as President and CEO, where he led the Hospital through a successful joint sponsorship transaction with CHRISTUS Health. St. Vincent Medical Center is a Sole Community Safety Net serving the seven north central counties of New Mexico. As CEO, Alex oversaw the construction of a 42-bed emergency department, new surgical centers including hospital based and ambulatory, acquisition of a short-stay 19-bed surgical hospital, and construction of a number of other specialty medical centers both on campus and in the community. Of significance, during Alex's tenure CSVRMC witnessed the development of a multi-specialty group practice which includes more than 100 physicians and mid-level practitioners.
Previously, Alex served the State of New Mexico as Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health under Governor Gary Johnson and in dual roles as General Counsel for Governor Garrey E. Carruthers and Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Human Services Department. As part of Alex's responsibility as Secretary for Health he oversaw the financing, regulatory and development of Federally Qualified Health Care Centers and the significance of having a Primary Health Care Network to implement meaningful Health Care Reform. Alex's public service roles also include service as Prosecutor for the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General and as an attorney for the New Mexico State Corporation Commission.
Alex has received numerous awards for his public service, including the 2002 National Public Service Award from the American Society for Public Administration. In 2012 Alex was named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare. He is a current member of the Board of Directors for the Catholic Health Association. Alex received his B.A. degree from the Robert O. Anderson School of Business Administration at the University of New Mexico and his J.D. Degree from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Amrish Mathur offers our healthcare clients advice on sophisticated strategies along the enhanced continuum of care (Acute, Swing-Bed, SNF, Psych, Rehab, RHC). His advice in this space covers revenue enhancement, financial optimization, rural health network building, case management, and multiple phases of operations improvement.
He began his career in public accounting at Price Waterhouse, then served in management positions for some of the nation's most prominent healthcare systems in the investor-owned and not-for-profit sectors, including HCA and predecessors of Tenet Health and CHRISTUS He then joined an emerging hospital company as a senior officer to guide it through the challenges of keeping up with its rapid growth.
After more than a decade in the health system space, Mathur entered the consulting sector to continue his service to clients in the healthcare finance vertical. His boutique firm developed novel advisory services helping clients navigate complex revenue enhancement programs and offering financial advisory services to PE-sponsored hospital systems. Overall, he has applied his accounting and healthcare finance experience to guide hospitals and health systems of all sizes as a senior executive with proven leadership skills and as a trusted advisor.
Mathur earned his BBA in Accounting at Washburn University of Topeka.
Barbara's practice concentrates on provider-sponsored health plans, publicly funded programs, accountable care organizations, and program evaluation.
Brett Norell is an innovative, transformational advisor who draws on his deep domain experience in the mission-driven and academic hospital sectors to help our clients achieve growth, conduct successful affiliation transactions, and strengthen physician, employee, and community engagement. As CEO of a community hospital operating in a highly competitive Wisconsin market, Norell was in the vanguard of value-based health in his region, achieving early success in CIN and ACO arrangements. he led a successful financial turnaround in which he was able to cut expenses by 10% while growing revenues by 3.6mm, breaking through narrow network competition with a direct outreach to key employers. Norell has also served as CFO of a multi-state Catholic system, where he earned the trust of its sponsoring congregation and the community at-large. Based on his service at the system and operations levels of these institutions, he is now able to share with our faith-based clients his deep understanding of their charism in healthcare.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Technology
Brian advises organizations on all aspects of healthcare information technology implementation and management, with a focus on helping clients meet federal regulatory requirements. His special skills in meeting Medicaid and federal requirements enable him to support healthcare organizations engaged in publicly funded healthcare.
Job Titles:
- Registered Nurse
- DNP Principal
Brittany is a clinical and operational strategist offering trusted enterprise advice, applying her subject matter expertise to improve patient care and organizational productivity.
Brittany Sachdeva's advice supports a range of hospitals, from large system to critical access, and clinically integrated networks in their delivery of high-quality, cost-effective care services. She also guides them in the activation of strategies for the arrival of value-based care. Her projects have included the formation and implementation of a 10-year strategic plan and the development of vision and direction for boards and leadership teams. Sachdeva has built a Leadership Development Mentorship Program to upskill "green" but high-potential managers and has worked hand-in-glove with industry experts to design tailored safety courses for hospital team members, including physicians and top executives.
Sachdeva co-founded and funded the PNAPL fund, a philanthropic initiative to provide assistance to cover basic healthcare-related needs and services that would otherwise be inaccessible to those in greatest need. She recently helped a system secure a 3-year commitment for 300 international nurses from 26 countries to tackle post-COVID historically significant domestic nursing shortages, building a comprehensive employment and relocation program backed by a wide range of community organizations and businesses to ensure seamless cultural integration and acclimatization.
Sachdeva is a Registered Nurse, having earned a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and a Masters in Nursing Leadership & Administration from Walden University after graduating from The University of South Dakota.
Carol leads Newpoint's Organizational and Leadership Alignment Practice. Her specialties include strategy development and execution, major systems implementation, business process improvement and large-scale transformation.
Carol Geffner has a recognized track record of building and transforming businesses and senior leadership teams that are seeking growth and revitalized competitive positioning. Carol has more than two decades of executive leadership and consulting experience working with a broad range of corporate clients including Fortune 50 companies, global professional service firms, entrepreneurial ventures and nonprofit entities.
Carol has led businesses and divisions ranging from $3 million to $200 million in size for privately held companies in a variety of industries, including healthcare and media. Her specialties include strategy development and execution, major systems implementation, business process improvement and large-scale transformation.
Prior to Newpoint Healthcare Advisors, Carol was Co-Founder and CEO of ArpegioHealth, a national healthcare management consulting firm focused on strategic growth and alignment for hospitals, senior living corporations and managed care organizations. Carol led Arpegio's strategy practice, which focused on planning, strategy execution and large-scale transformation of health systems, including integrated delivery systems, insurance companies, public policy institutions and governmental agencies.
In prior executive positions, Carol served as President, Shared Services, for a $1.8 billion integrated newspaper and media company and led operations for purchasing, risk management, marketing and communications, and human resources. She was also the executive in charge of Information Technology. In a prior capacity, Dr. Geffner developed and led the first organizational consulting practice for a $400 million global professional services firm.
Carol has held faculty positions at the Peter F. Drucker and Masatochi Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate School and Chapman University. She has served on the Board of United Way of Orange County and the Ralph Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship at Chapman University.
Carol earned a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, an MPA from the University of Southern California, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto.
Don Horstkotte advises hospital and health system clients on strategic and operational issues ranging from market and regional strategy development, operations improvement, affiliations, and population-based payment systems, with a focus on the transition in form and function from the historical fee-for-service payment model.
Edward H. Ladon, Ph.D., has more than 25 years of experience as a clinical and consulting psychologist assisting individual and organizational clients formulate and achieve their goals. He has an unflagging dedication and commitment to client service and to supporting clients as they embrace systemic change. His extensive experience in working in multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environments makes him particularly effective in promoting collaboration. Ed excels at taking complex issues/ideas and making them understandable and accessible to diverse groups of people. His down-to-earth style enables clients and supervisees make better choices and sound decisions.
Ed is a Licensed Psychologist who earned his PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology at the University Virginia. For most of the last decade, he was a Senior Consultant with eCollege, the country's premier online education platform for colleges and graduate schools. In that capacity, he consulted nationally and internationally to many leading universities and corporate training entities on program development and best practices in web based learning. In academic and health care environments, Ed has mentored a broad range of learners including allied health personnel and support staff, doctoral and post doctoral clinicians and administrators. Currently, Dr. Ladon maintains a practice involving consultation and coaching with businesses, community based organizations and government agencies. Dr. Ladon has held faculty positions at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, the University of Denver and the University of Colorado.
Gary Lapidas advises hospitals and health care systems in their management of growth and change responsive to health care reform. He has been a consultant to numerous HMOs, health care systems, behavioral health companies, nursing homes, and the federal government.
Mr. Lapidas has published articles in the AMA News, D&B Reports, and Group Practice Journal. He received a B.S. degree in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Managing Principal
Joe Lupica, who leads the firm's Affiliations practice, serves as the firm's chair and managing principal. During his career, Lupica has served a variety of nonprofit, corporate and public-sector clients as an investment banker, attorney, and development officer.
Larry Ghan consults on public healthcare administration issues. He was elected to nine consecutive terms in public office for Bannock County, Idaho. He led a community-intensive process to determine the successful transformation of the struggling, county-owned hospital.
Larry Ghan has years of experience in county government dealing with complex organizational, operational and administrative issues.
Prior to joining Newpoint, Larry was elected to nine consecutive terms in public office for Bannock County, Idaho, first as County Clerk and later as a County Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Commissioners. He completed his public service career as the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Court Administrator.
During his time as a County Commissioner, Larry dedicated his skills to guiding the community through a number of complex issues. Most notably, he led a community-intensive process to determine the successful transformation of the struggling county-owned hospital. After a robust, often contentious public discussion, the county's plan won 77 percent of the vote in a county referendum. The process and its result earned a cover story in the American Hospital Association's Trustee magazine. The experience gave Larry a unique perspective on preserving the attributes of publicly-guided healthcare, despite challenges - a perspective he continues to offer public and community hospitals around the country.
Larry earned a B.A. in American studies from University of Minnesota and has done graduate work at Idaho State University's School of Public Administration.
Marilyn has spent her professional career designing and implementing successful solutions for Medicaid programs and other publicly funded healthcare programs.
Marilyn Golden has spent her professional career designing and implementing successful solutions for Medicaid programs and other publicly funded healthcare programs, specializing in Medicaid and CHIP financing, systems development and program implementation.
Prior to her consulting career, Marilyn held leadership positions in the Colorado state government, working directly with the Governor's Office and the General Assembly to develop strategies and build consensus to support critical state programs in the face of declining financial resources.
Ms. Golden served in the cabinet-level post of Interim Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. She previously served as the Medicaid/CHIP Director of Operations and Finance and its Budget Director. In these roles, Marilyn was responsible for information systems, budget, policy and regulation for Medicaid, CHIP and the Colorado Indigent Care Program. She worked closely with policymakers in developing, interpreting, and assuring compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.
Marilyn also served as Vice President for Finance and Administration for Colorado's system of 13 community colleges. She directed budget, accounting, financial policy and facilities management issues. Her role required negotiations within Colorado's Commission on Higher Education on behalf of the system as well as direct interface with the Governor's Office and the General Assembly.
Marilyn currently focuses her advisory work on helping organizations translate program requirements into strategic system solutions. She has an in-depth understanding of federal regulations and the inner-workings of the Medicaid operational systems. She brings critical analytic thinking and a strong knowledge base to her work on Medicaid and CHIP programs. She earned a B.A. from the University of Tennessee.
Peggy advises clients on M&A, strategy, public policy, operations, and improvement activities in the US and internationally.
Peggy Altamura advises clients on M&A, strategy, public policy, operations, and improvement activities in the US and internationally. Her work in these areas for hospital systems, municipalities, and other organizations includes business and capital planning, decision support for board and executive leadership, negotiation, process design and control and business intelligence tools.
Peggy serves as Past President on the Board Member of Arizona Healthcare Executives and the Editorial Board of the Frontiers of Health Services Management Journal. Her passion is connecting people and ideas - helping leaders learn from leaders.
Robert has demonstrated significant accomplishments in developing academic strategies, managed care solutions and continuous performance and quality improvement. He is a Lean green belt and has trained and mentored dozens of physicians and other professionals in the Lean methods.
Robert Klugman, MD, FACP, FACMQ, has nearly three decades of experience as a practicing physician and physician executive providing consultation as a Physician Executive / Consultant in diverse corporate, academic, managed care and hospital system environments. Dr. Klugman has demonstrated significant accomplishments in developing academic strategies, managed care solutions and continuous performance and quality improvement. He is a Lean green belt and has trained and mentored dozens of physicians and other professionals in the Lean methods.
Dr. Klugman was a private practicing physician, associated with a community hospital for 15 years. Subsequent to UMass Memorial Health Care purchasing his practice, Bob became the Chief of General Medicine, then Chief of Community Internal Medicine, responsible for integrating over 150 community primary care physicians with the academic practices at UMass. In moving to a position of Chief Quality Officer, Bob developed a system-wide quality and performance improvement program, generating standards of care for the multiple hospitals in the system (academic medical center and community hospitals) and physician practices - winning a number of awards for the system. Bob established both the Office for Clinical Integration (focused on value-based care) and the Center for Innovation and Transformational Change, which has spearheaded process improvement through education and expertise in advanced analytics, modeling, and systems based care.
He served as the Medical Director for Managed care for the UMass Memorial system for the last several years of his tenure. His responsibilities included acting as the lead physician in contracting with payers, developing registries, data warehouses and establishing quality and performance metrics, as well as helping to drive their improvement across the practices. In this role he was responsible for over 25 million dollars in pay for performance dollars, as well as managing the Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Alternative Quality Contract, and other quality, patient experience and performance payer metrics.
Dr. Klugman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He completed his residency at UMass Hospital and Worcester Memorial Hospital and is board certified in internal medicine.
Stephen provides Newpoint's project teams with research and execution support, applying his knowledge of value investing, valuation methods, and current market dynamics to build financial models and explain value factors to the market. Stephen is a Canadian national with conversational proficiency in Mandarin Chinese.
Education
Arizona State University, BS in Finance with a focus on corporate banking.
Dr. Stover received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees from West Virginia University, and completed his internship and residency in OB/GYN in 1976 at Akron City Hospital, Akron, Ohio. He served as a major in the United States Air Force on active duty for two years and completed an infertility surgery fellowship at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1995, Dr. Stover completed the Professional Fellows Program in Business at The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and continued his business training at the Wharton School of Management. He received his MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2001, under the Physician Executive MBA Program where he was chosen Outstanding Physician Leader of the Year of his graduating class.
Tim Stover is the former President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic Akron General Health System. Prior to his appointment as President and CEO, he served as President of Outpatient Services, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, and Medical Director of Akron General's three award-winning Health & Wellness Centers and of its Care Management Program. Tim also hosted a weekly radio program on timely healthcare topics.