PREFERRED MEDICAL NETWORK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President of Information Technology
Aaron Schram joined Preferred Medical as senior vice president of information technology in 2018. He oversees all aspects of IT infrastructure, data management and security. Aaron works closely with every aspect of the business to ensure technology strategies and initiatives align with organizational goals. He identifies and manages all relationships with key technology partners.
Aaron has extensive experience in systems and application design for business and client reporting and analytics, EDI, billing and industry specific reporting requirements. Prior to joining Preferred Medical, he served as vice president for information technology for a national pharmaceutical processor.
Aaron has a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Women 's Business Enterprise National Council
As CEO of Preferred Medical, Amy Wrightsel has transformed the company into an industry leader that is top of mind to insurance carriers, self-insured employers and third-party administrators nationwide. In her role, Amy leads the development and execution of long-term strategies for Preferred to ensure the needs of customers and their injured workers are always at the forefront of consideration.
Amy joined Preferred in 2003 as a client service associate and after many different responsibilities over time became a successful and trusted leader with an extensive knowledge in workers' compensation claims management across all lines of business. Her leadership philosophy is to utilize proactive claims management to optimize clinical and financial outcomes.
Amy is a member of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). If you want to know a little more about Amy, read this Q&A as published by Business Insurance.
Courtney Coomer grew up in Louisville KY and attended Assumption High School and Western Kentucky University. As a University of Kentucky Wildcat fan and mother of two girls under the age of three, she is a proud Kentuckian, Preferred Medical's home. She takes pleasure in providing exceptional customer service for Preferred's clients by practicing quick responses/turnaround times, cost containment, and thorough communication to the injured worker and claims examiners. She imbues that same level of responsiveness, professionalism and purpose in her team that handles every inbound item to Preferred and ensures it gets to the right person as promptly as possible. Courtney joined Preferred's Ancillary Services department in 2012 where she quickly excelled and was promoted to Senior MSE Specialist because of her attention to detail and fast rapport with clients. She utilizes her 10+ years of customer service skills on a daily basis in leading the Intake Team.
As COO, Craig leads the design and implementation of Preferred Medical's day-to-day operations, processes and resources to ensure the company runs efficiently and meets customer needs for all service offerings. Since Craig joined Preferred in 2015 he has been a proven leader of growth and innovation within the company in both strategies and tactics.
Prior to joining Preferred, Craig worked with Fortune 100 companies, hospitals, and individual consumers of healthcare products. He has built a solid reputation for delivering results by effectively communicating horizontally and vertically.
Craig earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Marketing from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and his MBA in Healthcare Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN.
Job Titles:
- Director of Government Affairs
David Price is Director of Government Affairs for Preferred Medical. David oversees the compliance program and client education initiatives, leveraging his extensive legal and regulatory experience. He plays a crucial role in enhancing, building, and maintaining the company's relationships with legislatures and regulatory bodies as changes are proposed to state workers' compensation systems.
David has built a strong reputation for his expert analysis on workers' compensation regulations and their implications for stakeholders. Prior to joining Preferred Medical, David served as Compliance Counsel for a nationwide workers' compensation medical cost management company.
Additionally, David is an established speaker and author on topics related to the evolving regulatory and policy landscape of workers' compensation. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Berry College in Government and International Studies.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President of Business Development
As Executive Vice President of Business Development, Jeff Pirino will be responsible for establishing, developing, and implementing key strategic initiatives and account growth for Preferred Medical's Pharmacy, Ancillary, and Medical Bill Review services. Jeff has more than 25 years of experience in sales and customer service and has a proven track record in selling, leading, and managing high-performing sales and customer success teams.
His previous roles have been in network, clinical and information services within the property and casualty insurance industry, holding a variety of roles as both an individual contributor and a senior leader in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Jeff describes himself as a process- and systems-oriented professional with a proven ability to institutionalize best practices and operational excellence. He is passionate about creating a culture of collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork.
Jeff earned a BA in Business Economics from the University of San Diego.
Job Titles:
- Regional Account Sales Manager
In her current role as regional account sales manager for Preferred Medical, Jill Norris works alongside different members of our sales team from the regional territory managers to the national director of sales to ensure corporate initiatives and revenue goals are being met. Jill is also instrumental in developing new regional business prospects and maintaining an active pipeline for new revenue opportunities.
Jill has more than 22 years' experience in the workers' compensation industry and before joining Preferred Medical in 2018, she served in regional account executive roles for Mitchell International/Integrated Prescriptions Solutions and M. Joseph Medical. She attended Jefferson Community and Technical College and Spalding University in Louisville, KY.
Job Titles:
- Chief Clinical Officer
- Registered Pharmacist
As Chief Clinical Officer, Jim Andrews is responsible for guiding our clinical strategy and new program offerings for PBM and Ancillary services to drive value-based care to all of our customers and their injured workers. He is focused on bringing together the Preferred Medical team and our clinical partners to align care across all aspects of the business and enhance clinical effectiveness. His personal passion is establishing a "voice of customer" approach to ensure all stakeholders are involved in the process of pursuing the best possible clinical and financial outcomes for each work comp claim.
Jim brings over 45 years of total experience in pharmacy, with the last 15 years dedicated to workers' compensation PBM operations, clinical services and executive leadership. Prior to joining Preferred Medical, Jim served as General Manager of Clinical Products and Services for Optum Workers' Compensation. Prior to that he was the Executive Vice President of Pharmacy Services for Healthcare Solutions (the parent company of Cypress Care, ScripNet, Modern Medical and Procura Management).
Additionally, Jim is a registered pharmacist and a member of many professional affiliations. He is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia. He is a thought leader in the industry, presenting at various events and published in industry publications.
Job Titles:
- Director of Client Experience
Leah Yasko has more than 20 years of professional experience in the healthcare industry with 8 of those years specifically in workers' compensation. During that time Leah has played a key role in the development and execution of medical utilization management programs both nationwide and overseas. Leah's most notable projects have been pharmacy programs specifically geared toward the promotion of safe, smart and cost effective prescribing for injured workers. Leah joined Preferred Medical in November 2018 as Client Services Manager. Leah is responsible for all new PBM and Ancillary client implementations and fostering those new relationships through a seamless transition process, so she often is the "face of Preferred" when onboarding new clients. Leah and her team of client liaisons are focused on identifying nuanced client demands and expectations as they transition into the Preferred family. Leah and her team also help to execute Preferred's internal program improvement projects with a top focus on enhancing the client experience.
Lucciana (Lucci) was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She moved to the United Stated at the beginning of high school and attended Indiana University Southeast. She was originally hired by Preferred Medical as a bilingual customer representative in 2013 and since then has made this company her career. Lucci has held three different positions in the company. In her current role as Pharmacy Manager she manages her department's process, provides professional development to her team, and is an escalation contact for clients. She also helps with implementing new pharmacy-related products and services with invaluable operational insights. She is a life-long learner and looks forward to the new experiences and challenges this industry always provides.
Job Titles:
- Director of Employee Relations
As Director of Employee Relations, Sara Beth Young develops and implements HR programs to ensure best-in-class standards and provide strategic support to all business partners. Sara Beth provides comprehensive leadership with respect to employee relations, training and development, succession planning and recruitment, compensation, benefits and legal matters, including employee relations and employment law.
Sara Beth has 15+ years of experience as a Collaborative Human Resources Leader, building strong business partnerships and championing operational excellence in HR. She has experience in a variety of industries including retail and restaurant, professional services and insurance. Companies have ranged from successful family owned/privately held to publicly held and from small locally owned to large international companies. Sara Beth believes in partnering with business leaders to identify and achieve short and long term goals and enjoys the most success when engaging with senior leaders who are open to new ways of seeing things and who want to continuously improve.
Sara Beth is a graduate of Indiana University and member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Outside of the office, Sara Beth enjoys spending time with her family and dogs in the great outdoors and is an avid adventure traveler.
Job Titles:
- Director of Provider Relations
Sheila Miles-Dial brings 25 years' experience in the workers' compensation industry to her current role as director of provider relations. Sheila builds and manages provider networks for all of Preferred Medical's ancillary lines of business.
Sheila has a BS Degree in Human Resources from Florida Southern College. She is actively involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and has earned her Six Sigma Lean certification.