10 Leaders to Know in the ASC Industry

Here are 10 leaders to know in the ambulatory surgery center industry.

To recommend an ASC leader for future lists, please contact Carrie Pallardy at cpallardy@beckershealthcare.com.

Jeff Blankinship is the president of Surgical Notes, a transcription, coding and related information technology for ambulatory surgery centers. Mr. Blankinship is also the president of Surgery Center Network, which launched in March 2013. Surgery Center Network strives to connect ASCs with payers, the public and group health and worker's compensation plans. Mr. Blankinship and his wife Courtney founded Surgical Notes in 1997. Prior to Surgical Notes, he created a network of pain management surgery centers. Mr. Blankinship has served on the governing board of the Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society.

Kurt Cannon is the vice president of sales, marketing operations and support services with the endoscopy division of FUJIFILM Medical Systems. Mr. Cannon has served in various leadership roles at FUJIFILM since 1999. He began with Fujinon Endoscopy, a FUJIFILM company, which was officially merged with FUJIFILM Medical Systems in January 2012. Mr. Cannon earned his bachelor's degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Joan Dentler, MBA, is the president and chief executive officer of Avanza Healthcare Strategies, formerly ASC Strategies. Avanza Healthcare aims to help healthcare organizations meet regulatory, fiscal and community obligations. Ms. Dentler has more than 25 years of experience in developing and operating ASCs, hospital outpatient services and community health initiatives. She founded ASC Strategies in 2007 and Outpatient Strategies in 2011. In 2013, the two companies became one under the name Avanza Healthcare Strategies. Prior to her work with Avanza, Ms. Dentler worked in healthcare administration. She earned her MBA from the University of Texas.

Nelson Gomes is the founder, president and CEO of PriorityOne Group, an integrated IT services provider focused on ASCs, physician practices and hospitals. He has more than 20 years of experience in information technology, 15 of which have been spent with a focus on healthcare IT. Mr. Gomes is a graduate of DeVry University. He
further developed his proficiency in healthcare IT during his years of service with the Valley Hospital and Baptist Health.

George Goodwin is American group president with Symbion. He has served at Symbion in a variety of leadership roles including senior vice president, chief development officer and vice president of mergers and acquisitions. He has been with Symbion since September 2009. Prior to joining Symbion, he was the president and CEO of American Pathology Resources. He also managed homecare operations for the Tennessee division of Columbia/HCA Healthcare.

Dwayne Kertanis is a senior vice president of operations at Constitution Surgery Centers. In this role, Mr. Kertanis oversees three ophthalmic surgery centers in Connecticut. The centers have an annual case load of more than 22,000 cases. He served in the U.S. Navy as an operating room technician. Mr. Kertanis earned his bachelor's degree in economics and finance from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. He is involved with the Connecticut Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers.

Marcy Sasso, CASC, is the co-chair and founder of the Surgery Center Coalition, a non-profit group that has grown from eight ASC representatives to include 682 members. Ms. Sasso is also the founder of Sasso Consulting, which provides ASCs with compliance and operations services. Over the course of her career, Ms. Sasso has served as the director of compliance and development at Facility Development and Management and administrator of multiple ASCs.

Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, is the founder and president of Infection Control Consulting Services. Ms. Segal founded ICCS in 2005. The company partners with healthcare organizations to develop and implement facility-specific infection prevention and control programs. ICCS also develops educational programs to meet its clients' needs. Ms. Segal has served as infection control manager at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in Malvern, Pa., and as director of infection control at Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Aron Sereny, PhD, is the chief technology officer of AmkaiSolutions, an information management solutions company for ASCs, surgical hospitals and affiliated surgical practices. Mr. Sereny has more than 25 years of experience in health IT. He co-founded HealthIS and served as its president and CTO. Mr. Sereny has also managed a number of large-scale software development projects, such as AdvantX and AmkaiCharts.

Jon Vick is the president and founder of ASCs Inc., a company that has provided consulting services for more than 250 transactions. Mr. Vick founded SurgiCenter Development in 1984 and Endoscopy Center Affiliates in 1992. He has experience in ASC development, business planning, operations, acquisitions, mergers and valuation. Mr. Vick regularly speaks at industry meetings and contributes to professional publication.

More Articles on ASC Leaders:
9 Leaders to Know in the ASC Industry
6 Gastroenterologists Serving as Editors-in-Chief of GI Journals
18 Gastroenterologists Leading State & City GI Societies

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