BALTIMORE, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- XLHealth, one of the nation’s fastest-growing disease management companies and a leader in improving the quality of care for patients with chronic illness, has added three new healthcare professionals to its clinical team.
Laurie R. Russell, M.S., R.N., C.C.M., now serves as the company’s senior director of health solutions; Eileen Giardina, R.N., B.S.N., as director of quality improvement; and Martha M. Fountain, R.N., C.H.C.Q.M., C.L.N.C., as director of health services for Care Improvement Plus, the company’s new Special Needs Plan in Maryland. The three were appointed over the last month in preparation for XLHealth’s launch of several Medicare initiatives.
“We are delighted that Laurie, Eileen and Martha have joined XLHealth,” said Harry L. Leider, M.D., M.B.A., chief medical officer for XLHealth. “As disease management’s role in improving quality of care gains wider acceptance and we reach out to more chronically ill seniors, their breadth of knowledge and combined expertise will help us to further enhance our disease management programs and aid physicians in their efforts to improve care for patients with chronic illness.”
Russell plays a significant role in the design and development of XLHealth’s disease management programs and ensuring that clinical interventions deliver positive health and financial outcomes. She has 25 years experience in healthcare, most recently with Johns Hopkins HealthCare, where she was senior director of care management and played a key role in a major departmental reorganization that integrated disease management, utilization management and behavioral healthcare management services. Prior to that, as director of disease management, she was instrumental in the development, implementation and monitoring of 12 specialty disease programs and revenue enhancement initiatives for Johns Hopkins.
Giardina is responsible for the facilitation, execution and coordination of XLHealth’s quality improvement initiatives, in addition to the organization and management of all accreditation efforts. She has more than 10 years experience in quality improvement management, and in-depth knowledge of complex medical, technical, statistical and process components relating to quality management, accreditation and regulatory guidelines requirements. As the director of clinical quality improvement for Linkia, Giardina developed and implemented the company’s quality management program. Previously, Giardina served as the senior director of network operations for Mid-Atlantic Medical Services, Inc., where she managed network operations, credentialing, site review operations and provider quality review.
Fountain has primary responsibility for all utilization management and case management programs, quality management plans, health education programs and provider credentialing for Care Improvement Plus, XLHealth’s new Special Needs Plan for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries. The plan is scheduled to launch in Maryland on January 1, 2006. She has more than 15 years management experience with the country’s top healthcare insurance companies. As the director of compliance and delegation with Independence Blue Cross, she developed models and planning processes that enhanced operational effectiveness and dramatically increased department productivity. In her capacity as department head of patient management for Aetna U.S. Healthcare’s Mid-Atlantic region, Fountain directed utilization management, case management appeals and call center operations for more than 11 million members.
About XLHealth
XLHealth (http://www.xlhealth.com) has been at the forefront of disease management innovation since its inception. Founded by physicians, many of whom were affiliated with Johns Hopkins, XLHealth supplements the more customary remote telephone “call-center” or direct mail support with ongoing, face-to-face meetings with nurses and physicians. XLHealth also uses tight coordination of care, behavior modification, and in-depth patient profiling integrated with claims, pharmacy, and lab information to generate sophisticated, predictive modeling. The company’s programs prevent avoidable and expensive disease complications and hospitalizations. XLHealth was recently awarded the Disease Management Association of America’s (DMAA) Recognizing Excellence Award for “Best Disease Management Program: Medicare.”
XLHealth
CONTACT: Kristin Brunnworth for XLHealth, +1-410-962-8500 x138 orklb@planitagency.com
Web site: http://www.xlhealth.com//
