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.
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
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 400 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
Mar 25, 2022
US Acute Care Solutions CEO James Frary to Step Down, Board Names Dr. Matt Patlovany President
CANTON, Ohio, March 25, 2022– US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), the largest physician-owned and led acute care practice in the United States, announced today its Chief Executive Officer, James Frary, will step down on May 1, 2022. The Board of Directors has promoted Chief Clinical Officer Matt Patlovany, MD to President. Dr. Patlovany will be responsible for leading the organization as the Board conducts a search for a permanent CEO. Dominic J. Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Executive Chair of the USACS Board said, “From the pandemic to our recapitalization and subsequent growth, James led us with a steady demeanor and remarkable intelligence. One of his significant accomplishments was the assembling and development of a strong, stable and high-functioning executive leadership team. His are big shoes to fill, and while the Board conducts a search for his replacement, I have nothing but confidence in Dr. Patlovany and our executive leadership team.” Frary joined USACS in the spring of 2018. Frary’s time at USACS is marked with accomplishments including the physician-led buyout of its former private equity partner and subsequent recapitalization. He is leaving to serve as a board chair for a private equity-backed pharmaceutical services company. “There’s never a good time to leave a job you love,” said Mr. Frary. “I’m so proud of all we achieved, the friends I’ve made, and the fact that USACS has remained – and will remain long into the future – a mission-first organization to care for patients. To the physician-owners who trusted me to lead their group, you have my profound gratitude and admiration.” Dr. Patlovany said, “USACS is unique in our industry, owned exclusively by our physicians and health system partners. Therefore, while I am humbled by the President role, I’m confident in my partners to continue to do what makes USACS so successful in the first place – put decisions about what’s best for our patients above all else. I too thank James for his leadership and mentorship, and all of us at USACS wish him well.” The USACS Board will conduct a nationwide search, internal and external, for a permanent CEO to lead USACS in the next chapter of its evolution and growth 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
Feb 21, 2022
US Acute Care Solutions Acquires Alteon Health
USACS physicians bought out Alteon private equity shareholders and will issue USACS ownership to hundreds of Alteon physicians Canton, Ohio, February 1, 2022– US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), a national leader in physician-owned emergency medicine, hospitalist, observation and critical care services announced today that it has acquiredAlteon Health (Alteon)from its private equity shareholders. Hundreds of Alteon physicians will become USACS physician owners, and together the two companies will form a leading physician-owned provider of integrated- and post-acute care medicine, serving approximately nine million patients annually in more than 500 hospital-based and post-acute programs in 28 states. USACS Executive Board Chairman Dominic J. Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, said, “We formed USACS to create a company that would provide a perpetual physician ownership model in order to deliver world-class care to our patients. That ownership model is thriving, and we couldn’t be more excitedto welcome 450 new physician owners to our organization.” “Our scaled physician-partnership is unique in our industry. It is a clear differentiator for us, and it has enabled us to deliver high quality patient care and develop strong, longstanding relationships with our hospital system clients,” said USACS Chief Executive Officer James Frary. “With Alteon on our team, we will further strengthen our existing partner relationships and expand with new key health systems.” Alteon Chief Executive Officer Steve Holtzclaw, MD, MBA, FACEP, said, “As a physician-founded, physician-led organization committed to building exceptional clinical careers, we are excited about the transition to an ownership model for our physicians. We are equally excited to join forces with USACS to provide the highest quality care to our shared patients and meet the goals of our health system and post-acute partners.” Sidley Austin LLP and Epstein, Becker Green served as legal counsel to USACS, and Barclays and Deutsche Bank served as financial and strategic advisors. Greenberg Traurig served as legal counsel to Alteon, and Greenhill served as financial and strategic advisor. 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 seven million patients annually across more than 300 programs and is aligned with many of the leading health systems in the country. About Alteon With more than 1,300 clinicians serving approximately 200 practice locations nationwide, Alteon is a leading provider of emergency medicine, hospitalist medicine, critical care, post-acute care and virtual and home health services. The physician-led practice is equipped with 50 years of experience in providing high-quality, industry-leading and patient-focused care in diverse medical markets. ### Media Contact Marty Richmond Corporate Communications Department US Acute Care Solutions 330.493.4443 x1406
Press Release
Feb 21, 2022
Chattanooga Emergency Medicine Joins US Acute Care Solutions
Canton, Ohio, February 21, 2022– Chattanooga Emergency Medicine (CEM), a democratic, physician-owned group that staffs three hospitals in Tennessee and Georgia, will join US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), the largest physician-owned and led acute care practice in the United States on March 1, 2022. Dominic J. Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Executive Chair of the USACS Board said, “USACS is committed to a model that promotes perpetual physician ownership at scale. For groups like CEM who value the physician-ownership principle, USACS is the perfect partner to ensure physician leadership, a democratic culture and a patient-first mission endures.” James Frary, USACS Chief Executive Officer said, “CEM is a well-respected regional group, and by joining USACS it allows us both to benefit in the form of an expanded relationship with an existing health system partner for USACS, and a secure future for all CEM physicians in the hospitals they enjoy serving.” “We are excited to become a part of USACS, a physician-owned group like ours, but with national resources and scale,” said Jeffrey Visser, MD, co-chair of emergency medicine at CHI Memorial and co-founder of CEM. “As physician owners, we know that this is the model that best serves patients, and we look forward to growing with USACS and continuing to improve on the efficient care our patients have come to expect when they come through our doors.” DeAnn Champion, MD, CHI Memorial system medical director and co-founder of CEM said, “Expanding ownership to all our physicians is a unique advantage USACS offers our group over and above the increased collaboration and best-practice sharing with physicians all across the country.” 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. ### Media Contact Marty Richmond Corporate Communications Department US Acute Care Solutions 330.493.4443 x1406
Press Release
Dec 30, 2021
Hospitalist Services at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
Hollister, CA (December 30, 2020) VEP Healthcare Inc. (Operating as US Acute Care Solutions as of June 2021), a national leader in emergency medicine and hospital medicine management and staffing services, will lead Hollister, California-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital’s (HHMH) hospitalist program effective December 23, 2020. “The executive team at HHMH is excited about the partnership that will bring their expertise in a managed group model to the hospital’s important inpatient medicine service.” Steven Hannah, M.H.A., HHMH CEO says. The group has managed HHMH’s emergency department since 2015. The expanded partnership enables their skilled emergency medicine and hospital medicine experts to collaborate to deliver a smooth patient experience between emergency room care and inpatient admission. “Patients are the focus of these types of decisions and while we’ve had a solid hospitalist service leading up to this transition, we believe that this partnership will provide a strong foundation for providing inpatient care into the future,” Hannah says. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Hazel Hawkins to provide outstanding care to San Benito and southern Santa Clara counties,” President of USACS West Region Steve Maron, MD says. About Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (HHMH) is a full-service 25-bed not-for-profit hospital providing exceptional health care to San Benito County and southern Santa Clara County. After more than 100 years of operation, HHMH remains dedicated to its values of respect, compassion, and excellence. HHMH is a locally-governed, community-based hospital offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient services, laboratory services, palliative care, physician, speech, occupational therapy, respiratory care, and a new modern birthing center.