A veteran of the healthcare industry with more than 27 years of healthcare management experience, Bill Carns oversees PracticeMax's growth strategies and market positioning. Prior to PracticeMax, he served in executive level finance and administrative roles at two national for-profit hospital chains followed by nearly ten years of experience working with a non-profit hospital system in various capacities, including COO for the hospital's for-profit subsidiaries and leader of the physician practice acquisition program, where he was instrumental in the completion of 19 acquisitions. Carns has also worked as a consultant and vice president of mergers and acquisitions for a national PEO company. He possesses extensive experience in business start-ups and turnarounds, business appraisals and negotiations, practice integration and compensation programs, and compliance training. Carns earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Arizona State University, and is certified as a Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) and Healthcare Billing and Management Executive (CHBME). He has served as a Board Member of the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA) where he currently serves on the Technology and EHR Committees.
With more than 25 years of executive leadership experience and a broad background in healthcare business management, Rick White is responsible for managing PracticeMax's day-to-day operations, and guiding and expanding the company's product and service offerings. A former executive director of several large multi-specialty medical clinics, White possesses expertise in financial management, managed care, operations, human resources and information systems and has facilitated several practice start-ups, as well as mergers and acquisitions. He earned a bachelor of business administration degree from North Texas State University and an MBA from Texas A&M University-Commerce. White is a member of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), and is a fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives (FACMPE).
Patrick Lukacs brings more than 20 years of healthcare management experience to PracticeMax, where he is responsible for the Louisiana regional office and for development of the company's electronic health record (EHR) software offerings. Before joining PracticeMax, Lukacs served as CEO for Medinomics, LLC, a provider of practice management and EHR solutions, and billing services to physician practices and hospitals across the southern United States. Under his direction, Medinomics' revenue had increased sixfold prior to the company's acquisition by PracticeMax in September 2010. Lukacs is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Medical Group Management Association, and Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA). He has served on HBMA's board of directors, as secretary and treasurer of the executive committee, and is currently chair of the organization's EMR committee. Certified as a Healthcare Billing and Management Executive (CHBME), Lukacs earned a bachelor of science degree in economics/finance from Texas A&M University.
Scott Everson brings more than 26 years of executive and operational experience in the healthcare billing and practice management industry to his role at PracticeMax, where he oversees business development initiatives, including business partnerships and acquisitions. Previously, as vice president and director of operations at Morf Management Group (MMG), a medical billing and practice management firm, Everson helped grow the company to process more than $100 million per year in professional fee billing. MMG subsequently merged with two other companies to form ArborMed, Inc., where Everson served on the board of directors and as a senior vice president of operations. Early in his career, Everson developed one of the first applications to automate the coding and pricing of anesthesia services. Since 2001, he has been actively involved in the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA), where he currently serves as president. He received a bachelor of science degree in financial planning and counseling from Brigham Young University.
Possessing more than 24 years of experience in healthcare billing and management, Tim Karhu is responsible for support and oversight of PracticeMax's billing operations. He is the former president and founder of Adds Up, Inc., a medical billing and management firm that was acquired by PracticeMax in 2007. Prior to focusing on medical billing, Karhu held positions in retail operations and property management, and worked as a consultant for one of the nation's largest real estate management firms. He is certified as a Healthcare Billing and Management Executive (CHBME) and is an active member of the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA), where he serves on the Government Relations Committee. Tim has extensive experience lecturing on developing and operating healthcare billing operations for The Learning Annex and various other colleges throughout the west.
As a certified coding specialist (physician-based) with over 20 years experience in the healthcare industry, Alix House is responsible for the oversight and administration of PracticeMax's Arizona operations including coding, charge entry, billing, and collections. Alix has extensive experience in practice management, systems administration, accounts receivable management and regulatory compliance. She has also worked as a consultant, where she assisted clients with coding, chart documentation and creation, financial analysis and medical chart audits. Alix earned a bachelor of science degree in communication from Arizona State University and a master of education degree from Northern Arizona University. She has lectured on coding, compliance and HIPAA-related topics and is a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Phi Kappa Phi and the Healthcare Billing Management Association (HBMA).
David Landen brings more than 17 years of healthcare management experience to PracticeMax, where he is responsible for operational processes in Texas and Louisiana including coding, charge entry, billing, and collections. Having a strong analytical background with a focus on driving performance improvements, he is also responsible for providing PracticeMax clients with key performance measures and other actionable data to help them maximize their practice operations. Previously, Landen served as senior manager of financial planning and analysis for a Texas-based durable medical equipment manufacturer and as director of operations-finance at Humana, Inc., where he provided leadership and strategic direction for three departments, including financial planning and analysis, work force management and business systems automation. Prior to that, he was director of finance for Fox Valley Medicine, a 400-physician independent physician association, and IPA acting director and contract manager for Med Partners (formerly Talbert Medical Management Corporation and FHP, Inc.). Landen earned a bachelor of business administration degree in finance and an MBA from Brigham Young University.
Lynne Kottman is responsible for Compliance activities at PracticeMax. She is a member of the Healthcare Billing and Management Association's (HBMA) Ethics and Compliance Committee, where she has worked with the HCFA/DOJ liaison to help develop and refine the Model Billing Company Compliance Plan. She is also a member of the Health Ethics Trust, achieving certification as a Certified Compliance Professional (CCP) from that organization in 2005, and serves on the board of directors for the Emergency Department Practice Management Association (EDPMA). Prior to her association with PracticeMax, Kottman served for 15 years as president and co-compliance officer of Alamo Physicians' Services, a provider of coding, billing and consulting services for Emergency Department physicians and coding and consulting services for hospitals. Certified as a Healthcare Billing and Management Executive (CHBME), she received a B.S. degree in Education from The Ohio State University.
Jennifer Hackworth oversees PracticeMax's coding staff and is responsible for ensuring that all quality and quantity measures are met according to national and local coding conventions, and for managing ongoing client and coding staff training. As director of coding, Ms. Hackworth has implemented onsite and offsite coding services for hospital clients and physician groups and has worked extensively with both professional and facility coding for Emergency Department services. Certified as a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), she earned a bachelor's degree in health information management and a master's degree in health services research, both from Texas State University. In addition, she is a member of the Texas State HIM Advisory Committee, which reviews the degree program for both the university and annual accreditation.
A Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and Advanced Coding Specialist-Emergency Department (ACS-ED), Maria Johnson is responsible for conducting internal and external audits of medical record documentation to ensure compliance with third-party requirements for PracticeMax and the providers they serve. While her specialty areas include Emergency Medicine physician billing and ED facility coding, she also has extensive experience in coding and auditing for Pediatric ICU, Physiotherapy, Diagnostic Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology and Neurosurgery. Johnson served as secretary of the AAPC's San Antonio chapter in 2001 and 2003 and, since 2006, has also served on the Board of Advanced Medical Coders (BAMC) (now known as the Board of Medical Specialty Coding (BMSC)) where, as board leader for the specialty of Emergency Medicine, she has been heavily involved in the ACS-ED exam. In addition, she authored the "Advanced Coding Education Guide for Emergency Medicine" and "Study Guide for Emergency Medicine Coding Certification".
In his role at PracticeMax, Dr. Robert Kottman provides expert advice, develops physician medical records documentation training, and creates and writes educational materials for coders and physicians. Employed full-time as an Emergency Department physician since 1977, Dr. Kottman was previously chairman and vice chairman of the Emergency Department of a five-hospital system. A fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), he has served on the ACEP Coding and Nomenclature Advisory Committee and ACEP Reimbursement Committee, and is a member of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians (TCEP), where he has served on the board of directors and as chairman of the Reimbursement and Practice Management Committee. Dr. Kottman is also a member of the TMA (Texas Medical Association) Council on Socioeconomics, a delegate to the TMA House of Delegates and serves on the Texas Medicaid Physician Advisory and Regional Advisory Committees. Dr. Kottman earned a B.A. and M.D. from The Ohio State University.
Possessing more than 26 years of senior level healthcare management experience, Chuck Engelmann manages and oversees PracticeMax's Direct Service Claiming (DSC) business unit. Engelmann has managed operations, reimbursement, and mergers and acquisitions for both public and privately held companies and has served in an executive board capacity in multiple states, as well as within national industry associations. During the past ten years of his professional career, he has directed the development of a number of new business units, including PracticeMax's Direct Service Claiming unit, wherein the company contracts with school districts to secure Medicaid reimbursement for special education services rendered by school-based providers. Engelmann earned bachelor of science degrees in biology and psychology from the University of Illinois.
Ben James oversees the design, implementation and support of information technology at PracticeMax. His background includes both medical billing and IT experience, helping to meet the unique challenges of administering IT in the medical field. James performed customer service, billing and A/R management functions at PracticeMax while studying Computer Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. Since migrating into an IT role at PracticeMax, James has implemented multiple software and hardware systems, integrated and provided support for these systems, and developed business intelligence solutions to provide unified data mining and reporting across them. Ben completed three years of computer systems engineering study at Arizona State University.
With more than 35 years of experience as a systems manager, analyst and computer programmer, Steven Erhardt is responsible for design and development of systems required for corporate practice management, planning enhancements in existing systems, and managing projects required to fulfill client needs. He has extensive experience successfully managing several large technical projects during his 22 years in the USAF. In his role at PracticeMax, Steve conducts complex system analyses; designs customer requested reports and the processes necessary to support them, and implements all interfaces with clients, their hospitals and support staff. He maintains and develops internal support systems to assist departments in daily processing, reporting and managing. An adjunct professor at Webster University for five years and department head for one year, he taught several courses in the university's Master of Management Information Systems (MIS) program. Erhardt received a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from University of Connecticut, and a master's degree in computer science (MCS) from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia.
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