AXIA PHYSICIAN SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT
- As AXIA President
As a tenured healthcare leader, I experience daily how harsh healthcare reform is and the toll it's taking on community physicians. This is something we hear day in and day out from both physicians and practice administrators. They often share their challenges trying to leverage people, resources and infrastructure to meet new demands set through governmental and payer mandates, often noting it's unrealistic or unattainable alone.
As we embark on the future, AXIA is well positioned with unique capabilities to help independent practices succeed and flourish amid an ever-challenging landscape.
As AXIA president, D. Patrick Easterling oversees and participates in key areas including consumer operations, value based purchasing strategies, corporate health and developing new services aimed at supporting community physicians. He brings over 25 years of healthcare experience to AXIA, and has held executive-level operations and finance positions at various healthcare organizations, including physician group practices, for-profit and not-for-profit community health systems, as well as nationally ranked integrated delivery systems.
Prior to joining AXIA, Patrick held several key roles including senior vice president of consumer operations, chief operating officer for Novant Health Medical Group; chief financial officer for Novant Health's greater Charlotte market; and director of finance for physician services. Under his leadership, Novant Health medical group grew from 250 employees to 1,020 while operating loss per physician decreased and revenue per physician increased.
Prior to joining AXIA, Patrick held several key roles including senior vice president of consumer operations, chief operating officer for Novant Health Medical Group; chief financial officer for Novant Health's greater Charlotte market; and director of finance for physician services. Under his leadership, Novant Health medical group grew from 250 employees to 1,020 while operating loss per physician decreased and revenue per physician increased.
Patrick has worked for Novant Health on two separate occasions. 2008 through 2013, Patrick oversaw a physician-employed network of 1,431 primary care and specialty providers in more than 300 locations across 16 states in his role as Health Management Physician Network president. His experience also includes co-founding The Greenleafe Group, which served several key industry clients, including Bon Secours Health System, Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates and Charlotte-based EMS agency, MEDIC. And his resume also includes seven years in various finance roles for Gaston Health Care (now known as CaroMont Health), a large community health system in Gastonia, North Carolina.
My goal is to work with our business partners to promote an awareness and understanding of the CMS value-based purchasing programs, which emphasize improving quality and reducing overall cost of care. Many commercial payers are also moving away from a sole reliance on episodic care reimbursement and toward reimbursement that is more focused on the achievement of quality and cost outcomes.
This shift in reimbursement methodology can create new opportunities for our business partners and it is important for our partners to understand the structure of these programs along with the benefits of participation. The best aspect of these programs is the focus on improving the patient experience and outcomes, regardless of the care setting.
Jody Morris, MBA, serves as vice president of payer relations and programs for AXIA. His primary focus is twofold: 1) to partner with management services organizations to promote the understanding of and participation in CMS value-based purchasing opportunities, and 2) to explore opportunities for business partners to participate in pay-for-performance and other quality and performance-driven programs offered by commercial insurance plans.
Jody has more than 21 years of combined experience in the areas of hospital operations management, physician practice operations management and managed care operations.
Jody Morris, MBA, serves as vice president of payer relations and programs for AXIA. His primary focus is twofold: 1) to partner with management services organizations to promote the understanding of and participation in CMS value-based purchasing opportunities, and 2) to explore opportunities for business partners to participate in pay-for-performance and other quality and performance-driven programs offered by commercial insurance plans.
Jody has more than 21 years of combined experience in the areas of hospital operations management, physician practice operations management and managed care operations.
Prior to joining AXIA, Jody served as the vice president and chief operating officer of the Novant Health greater Winston-Salem market, where he oversaw operational accountability for Novant Health Franklin Medical Center and the system's greater Winston-Salem market physician practices. His experience before that included strategic growth and operational leadership for several physician practices as Novant Health expanded its greater Winston-Salem market presence, and roles as the vice president of the American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness's management services organization and director of managed care for the Novant Health Physician Division.
Jody has a Master of Business Administration from Appalachian State University and Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
I am passionate about operating in the top tier and regularly benchmark Novant Health's performance against other EPIC customers, MGMA members and HFMA physician members. It's fitting that my favorite quote is Peter Drucker's, ‘What gets measured, gets improved.'
Kelly Black brings more than 22 years of experience in revenue cycle management to her role, and has been with Novant Health Revenue Cycle Services (RCS) since September 2000, when she started as an assistant director before quickly moving up the ranks to her current role.
Her career has always revolved around the healthcare revenue cycle environment. Prior to joining Novant Health, Kelly managed extended business office operations for Healthcare Resource Associates in Charlotte, North Carolina. She also owned and operated a small billing and collections business serving several psychiatric groups across North and South Carolina.
Kelly received her Bachelor of Science in business administration from Winthrop University and a Master of Business Administration in healthcare management from University of Phoenix. She is a member in good standing of MGMA, HFMA and HBMA.
Job Titles:
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
- Business Development Manager for Novant Health Community
In addition to providing exceptional patient care, independent physicians must run a business. Medical clinics are challenged with managing certified electronic medical record system requirements, interoperability, regulatory specifications and reporting, insurance dynamics, reimbursement changes and many other concerns in addition to typical day-to-day business operations.
AXIA Physician Solutions assists medical clinics in delivering the highest quality of care and value to each patient while maintaining a unique and efficient business model with each client.
Mark Turner is the business development manager for Novant Health Community Connect, a program that provides independent medical clinics with EPIC as their EHR/PM system. The EPIC system enables independent physician offices to update and share patient information with Novant Health's hospitals and clinics to significantly enhance diagnoses and treatment success.
"Making healthcare remarkable" involves numerous elements. Access to the most current patient information is essential. Novant Health Community Connect electronically links independent providers, Novant Health and other healthcare systems to partner in delivering the most effective care possible. Mark works collaboratively with associated independent clinics to deliver and support the EPIC system in a way that exceeds expectations.
Mark Turner is the business development manager for Novant Health Community Connect, a program that provides independent medical clinics with EPIC as their EHR/PM system. The EPIC system enables independent physician offices to update and share patient information with Novant Health's hospitals and clinics to significantly enhance diagnoses and treatment success.
"Making healthcare remarkable" involves numerous elements. Access to the most current patient information is essential. Novant Health Community Connect electronically links independent providers, Novant Health and other healthcare systems to partner in delivering the most effective care possible. Mark works collaboratively with associated independent clinics to deliver and support the EPIC system in a way that exceeds expectations.
Prior to joining Novant Health eight years ago, Mark had a career with Wells Fargo and subsequent consulting engagements with Bank of America and Wells Fargo. His experience includes upper-level management, outside sales, customer relationship management, vendor management, compliance, program development and project management. Mark has a bachelor's degree in business administration and served two years in the Peace Corps working with the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
Vonda T. Marlow, MBA, CMPE, joins the AXIA team as operations manager with an extensive and proven background in healthcare administration. Vonda's role is focused on review, implementation and guidance with the physician office to reach and maintain desired results.
She brings to AXIA more than 20 years of healthcare management and consulting experience in primary care, specialty care and multi-ancillary facilities with multiple locations.
In addition to holding a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare, she is a Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) by the American Board of Medical Practice Executives.