USACS NEWS
USACS shares news and information that keep you informed and demonstrate our commitment to efficiency and improved patient care and outcomes. A USACS representative is available for media inquiries.
Press Release
Nov 7, 2022
US Acute Care Solutions Acquires MIDEO: A Video-Based Advance Care Directive Platform
CANTON, Ohio, November 7, 2022—US Acute Care Solutions (USACS) has acquired MIDEO, My Informed Decision on VidEO, a video based advance care planning platform that provides individuals with the ability to visually and verbally communicate their wishes in any medical circumstance. MIDEO, a patented patient safety solution, was developed based off research from The Realistic Interpretation of Advance Directives (TRIAD) which was conducted by founder and CEO, Ferdinando Mirarchi, DO. Through his research and work as an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Mirarchi discovered a persistent nationwide patient safety risk present in various scenarios including those with living wills, physician orders for life sustaining treatment, and those who are critically ill. This is where his idea of incorporating video into the framework of care came into action. Individuals utilizing MIDEO have two options available to complete their profile. They may either elect to use the self-service option, which provides step-by-step clinical decision tools, or they may elect to work with a clinician through the clinician led consult where they undergo a full medical evaluation and review of potential scenarios in which important medical decisions must be made. Together, the patient and clinician create a clear, short, and customized script that conveys the individual’s unique desires regarding medical treatment and intervention. This script is then recorded and saved in video format, empowering the patient to accurately describe their wishes utilizing proper medical terminology. Not only does this provide explicit clarity regarding patient desires in times of medical intervention, but it also equips future clinicians with an easily accessible and understood explanation of those wishes, especially in times of medical emergencies when there is no room to guess. After learning about MIDEO, USACS Executive Chairman, Dominic Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, knew the platform was invaluable to not only incorporate into the innovation strategies being explored by USACS, but also to deploy as a resource for all USACS employees. “We are continually striving to enhance patient safety in our operations, and MIDEO is a resource at the forefront of those endeavors,” said Dr. Bagnoli. “The value we see in this resource is something we are very much looking forward to sharing at no cost with our 6,000+ employees.” As the MIDEO platform is incorporated into USACS offerings, the goal will be to increase the visibility of the resource throughout the network and expand the technological capabilities of the programming. “I am thrilled to be joining forces with the USACS team to propel the MIDEO platform forward and into the hands of even more patients nationwide,” said Dr. Mirarchi. “My goal in creating MIDEO was to give patients the ability to clearly and effectively communicate their wishes so that clinicians and families could avoid facing the decision paralysis that often arises in medical situations. In return, families and clinicians can then focus on providing the right care at the right time, whether that be through aggressive life-saving care or through the provision of resources to support end of life care, the focus remains on providing the appropriate medical interventions.” Amer Aldeen, MD, FACEP, chief medical officer of USACS, is also looking forward to bringing the MIDEO platform into the USACS offerings as patient safety is a top priority in his role. “It has been shown there is an 80% rate of misinterpretation of living wills and DNR documentation,” noted Dr. Aldeen. “We are optimistic we can decrease this rate significantly while ensuring a higher level of patient safety through the deployment of leading technological advances such as MIDEO.” About USACS Founded by emergency medicine and inpatient physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more. ### Media Contact Marty Richmond Corporate Communications Department US Acute Care Solutions 330.493.4443 x1406
Press Release
Jun 21, 2022
US Acute Care Solutions Names Christopher R. Hummer Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Matt Patlovany President and Chief Clinical Officer
CANTON, Ohio, June 21, 2022– US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), the largest physician-owned and led acute care practice in the United States, announced today it has named Christopher R. Hummer its Chief Executive Officer, and as previously announced, Matt Patlovany, MD is the group’s President and Chief Clinical Officer. Mr. Hummer has served as CEO and Plan President of the Oregon and New Mexico markets for the Centene Corporation since 2019. Before that, Mr. Hummer served as a senior executive in the Atrium Health System for 14 years as both a president of three hospitals and led the system’s 18 emergency departments. Prior to joining Atrium, he was a CEO, President and COO of three hospitals in the Tenet system in Missouri and Georgia. Mr. Hummer began his healthcare career as an executive in multi-specialty physician groups in Minnesota, California and Texas. He earned his undergraduate degree at Kansas State University and his Master of Healthcare Administration at the University of Kansas. Dominic J. Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Executive Chair of the USACS Board of Directors said, “The Board has conducted a nationwide search for the right person to lead our group in the next chapter of our history. I am quite confident we found that person in Chris. His experience in hospital system and managed care leadership speaks for itself. Chris’ dynamic personality, demonstrated commitment to caring for others, and longstanding relationships with his clinician colleagues is what makes him a perfect fit for our culture of ownership.” “USACS is distinct in its industry, owned by its physicians and health system partners,” said Mr. Hummer. “I am very excited to join this physician-owned group and work with Dr. Patlovany and others on this talented leadership team. I am humbled by this opportunity and committed to continuing the good work of securing a long-term future for acute care physicians and APPs who wish to practice in a group they own.” Matt Patlovany, MD, recently promoted to President in addition to his role as Chief Clinical Officer will continue to lead the USACS clinical organization and partner with Mr. Hummer on the operational and financial aspects of the business. Dr. Patlovany added, “All of us at USACS are excited about the opportunity in front of us to grow, and provide excellent care to our patients and support to our health system partners. Together, Chris and I will be dedicated to the work of ensuring our place as the premier, perpetual-physician owned and led acute care provider group in the country.” About USACS Founded by emergency medicine and inpatient physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. With its recent acquisition of Alteon Health, USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more. ### Media Contact Marty Richmond Corporate Communications Department US Acute Care Solutions 330.493.4443 x1406
Press Release
Jun 17, 2022
USACS Announces Reorganized National Structure, Regional Leaders
Friday, June 17, 2022|Press Releases CANTON, Ohio, June 17, 2022– US Acute Care Solutions (USACS) has announced a reorganization of its national structure into six divisions under the direction of Matt Patlovany, MD, President and Chief Clinical Officer (CCO). USACS is pleased to name the following National Divisions, Division Presidents, and Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs), as follows, effective July 1: Central Mountain Division President: Britney Anderson, MD Regional Vice President: Brian Crawford, MD Regional Vice President: Jorge Santibanez, MD South Division President: Jennifer Bradstreet, MD Regional Vice President: Paul Goen, MD Regional Vice President: Irfan Hydari, MD Regional Vice President: Tony Martinez, MD Northeast Division President: Martin Brown, MD Regional Vice President: John Janikas, MD Regional Vice President: Andrew Jenis, MD Regional Vice President: Noah Keller, DO Regional Vice President: Drew White, MD North Division President: Tina Latimer, MD Regional Vice President: Mike Argus, MD Regional Vice President: Rich Hausrod, MD Regional Vice President: Bobby Kapur, MD Regional Vice President: Mark Slabinski, MD Southeast Division President: Brandon Lewis, DO Regional Vice President: Brian Baker, PA, MBA Regional Vice President: Bruce Burns, MD Regional Vice President: Ben Morel, MD West Division President: Mike Osmundson, MD Regional Vice President: Harneet Bath, MD Regional Vice President: Marc Hudock, PA-C Regional Vice President: Kirsten Mewaldt, MD Reporting directly to the CCO, the USACS Presidents are each responsible for overseeing a division delivering high quality care to approximately one million patients each year. As executive physician-leaders, they provide strategic leadership and oversight of financial performance, engagement, integration, leadership development, and management of all aspects of the practice. USACS RVPs report to their respective Division President and provide leadership to multiple programs and sites of service. They work primarily with System Medical Directors, Medical Directors, Divisional Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Directors, nursing leadership, and hospital administration to ensure the patient care delivery model achieves high quality outcomes, exceeds key patient and operational metrics, and meets financial performance goals. “We’ve grown significantly in the last twelve months, and this reorganization is a necessary component of our strategy to continue meeting the needs of our hospital partners by ensuring only the highest levels of communication, service, and patient care,” said Matt Patlovany, MD. “Our Presidents and RVPs are each uniquely qualified and diverse in background, experience, and expertise. Their candidacy and dedication to excellence in both clinical and business operations is a testament to our pursuit of a perfected, distributed, and perpetual physician-owned and physician-led service model.” About USACS Founded by emergency medicine and hospitalist physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more. ### Media Contact Marty Richmond Corporate Communications Department US Acute Care Solutions 330.493.4443 x1406
General News
Jun 7, 2022
How USACS Reacted to COVID-19
US Acute Care Solutions experienced the same sudden and unprecedented declines in hospital ED volumes related to COVID-19 that everyone else did. How we reacted was different. We prioritized state-of-the-art patient care We provided clinical updates three times a week to educate our clinicians on the latest evidence-based management techniques during a time of ultra-rapid knowledge development. We created our nationwide COVID Task Force to quickly disseminate best practices nationally. We instituted frequent, clear, and concise communication to reduce information overload and to minimize misinformation. We created a clinical management tool to facilitate appropriate disposition for COVID patients. We created a first-in-the-industry ventilator allocation guideline, leveraging our ethics expertise. We provided educational points for clinicians to educate non-medical community members in their personal social media networks. We prioritized the safety and needs of our clinicians We sourced our own national PPE backup supplies to mitigate local shortages. We developed a state-of-the-art N95 sterilization technique and shared this with our hospital partners. We created on-shift support for decontamination methods. We created the first-in-the-industry quarantine fund to pay clinicians for lost time. We maintained benefits (including our marquee 401k plan) for our clinicians and employees throughout. We distributed wellness resources for our clinicians and their families. We created a communication aid for clinicians to facilitate travel to their hospitals without delays. We offered first-in-the-industry free antibody testing to all clinicians and employees. We prioritized the needs of our hospital partners We built surge ICU and hospital medicine processes and protocols, pre-ED triage tents, pop-up acute care settings, and even new hospital relationships. We supported telemedicine initiatives for hospitals, resulting in new patients being brought into the hospital system for appropriate care. We hosted webinars for hospital partners to coordinate an informed COVID response with best practices by leveraging our national footprint of 200+ acute care sites. We developed a clinical management tool to assign hospital observation, transfer, and inpatient admission. We created guidelines for a COVIDSafe Emergency Department, easing patient concerns about viral transmission and continuing to provide our trademark high-quality care for serious acute conditions. US Acute Care Solutions is different because we are majority physician-owned and are physician-led. We have the clinical, operational, and financial resources to weather the worst of a storm. COVID is case in point. We stepped up to face this crisis as a leader in our industry and an exceptional partner for our hospitals. We were made for this. Search Careers Talk To A Recruiter
General News
Jun 7, 2022
USACS physicians work with Baptist Health System to set up telehealth in emergency departments
Throughout the country, USACS physicians continue working hard to adapt to and thrive despite the COVID-19 pandemic - as well as be the best partners possible to their hospitals and hospital systems. System Director John Tully MD for Baptist Health System (Tenet) in San Antonio worked with USACS leadership, including VP of USACS South Jennifer Bradstreet and National Director of Clinical Innovations Jesse Pines to set up a telehealth ED service for the system. Interested in learning how USACS can help your hospital or health system? Email us at:[email protected]
Press Release
May 24, 2022
USACS Congratulates Valley Children's on 2019 Leapfrog Top Children's
Madera, California – US Acute Care Solutions congratulates partner hospital Valley Children’s, which was named a Top Children’s Hospital in the nation by The Leapfrog Group for its excellence in patient safety and quality of care. The Top Children’s Hospital award is one of the most competitive honors U.S. hospitals can receive – and Valley Children’s is one of only 10 hospitals in the country to have received the award. “We’re proud to serve Valley Children’s to provide the safest, highest quality care for our nation’s youngest – and often most vulnerable – patients,” said Geetanjali Srivastava MD, MPH, FAAP, Medical Director of Valley Children’s Hospital Emergency department for USACS. In order to be eligible for the Top Hospital distinction, hospitals have to rank at the top among their peers in the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey. According to Valley Children’s Hospital, performance measures, which are based on rigorous standards across many areas of hospital care, are considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including pediatric care, infection rates, practices for safer surgery and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. With scores in the top 6% across the nation for Top Children’s Hospitals, Valley Children’s exceptional performance on these quality and patient safety metrics is clearly recognized by this achievement. Physician-owned emergency medicine groups often face the dilemma of hospital ownership or acquisition by a publicly traded operation. USACS is an exciting and ambitious alternative. ROBERT SCHMIDT MD. “This is a wonderful honor that speaks to the quality of all the medical staff of Valley Children’s Hospital,” added Michael Osmundson, MD, MBA, FACEP, and President of USACS North West. “Congratulations to all for providing the best patient care possible.” Representatives from the hospital were honored at an event hosted by The Leapfrog Group last month. “We are pleased to recognize Valley Children’s as a 2019 Leapfrog Top Children’s Hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to children in the Central Valley. We congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible and know they share pride in this achievement.”
Press Release
Apr 5, 2022
Dr. Jayne Kendall Named Chief of Clinician Engagement
CANTON, Ohio, APRIL 5, 2022– Jayne Kendall, MD, MBA, FACEP, CDE, CPE, has been named to US Acute Care Solutions’ newly-created role of Chief of Clinician Engagement, a welcome addition to the Chief of Medical Operations team. In her role, Dr. Kendall will be traveling to many USACS health system partners for face-to-face meetings to discuss leadership development and health equity. “We are excited to see that our health system partners share our goals in these areas and Jayne’s new position will help us achieve them.” | CMO Amer Aldeen, MD, FACEP “Selecting Jayne, with her operational and organizational knowledge and skills, demonstrates our commitment to the notion that we’ve heard our hospital partners loud and clear. Jayne’s obvious experience combined with her naturally high EQ, mentorship skills, and formal training make her well suited for the role. In this position, Jayne will develop and implement specific metrics we can achieve in improving health equity. She will oversee medical director readiness assessments, development, onboarding, and support. She will also assume oversight of the USACS Leadership University, Diversity Inclusion, Women’s Resource Group, and Clinician Wellbeing. She will work closely with Dr. Orion Colfer, who runs our Scholars pre-director training program, to ensure that the next generation of leadership is prepared for the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.” Dr. Kendall said, “I’m thrilled to join the CMO team and I look forward to meeting in person with our health system partners. Health equity – removing obstacles to health to ensure everyone has an opportunity to be healthy – is a passion of mine. I’m also excited to work with the excellent physicians of USACS to develop leaders and care for all clinicians as we care for patients.” Prior to accepting this role, Dr. Kendall has served multiple roles in the organization including Regional Vice President and Regional President.Dr. Kendall earned her bachelor's and medical degrees from Indiana University and completed her EM residency at Carolinas Medical Center, where she was chief resident. In May 2012, she completed the Executive MBA program at Queens University of Charlotte. She earned credentials from the Institute for Diversity Certification and is a Certified Diversity Executive. Jayne earned the Certified Physician Executive credentials through the American Association of Physician Leadership in 2019. About USACS Founded by emergency medicine and hospitalist physicians across the country, USACS is solely owned by its physicians and hospital system partners. The group is a national leader in integrated acute care, including emergency medicine, hospitalist and critical care services. With its recent acquisition of Alteon Health, USACS provides high-quality care to approximately nine million patients annually across more than 500 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. Visit usacs.com for more. ### Media Contact Marty Richmond Corporate Communications Department US Acute Care Solutions 330.493.4443 x1406