MedBridge, a Santa Barbara-based provider of ambulatory surgery center (ASC) and physician practice development, management, consulting and revenue cycle services, has implemented a corporate infrastructure change through the creation of a senior management team.

Comprised of four instrumental MedBridge decision-makers, this new group of senior management reports to Dave Odell, president/CEO, and Ruth Loomer, executive vice president and chief of staff.

It is focused on being the bridge between the company’s executive leadership and its mid-level managers and committed staff members, who drive the business forward.

In its 19th year managing the business side of medicine for its clients, MedBridge now boasts nearly 50 employees. Accounting for growth is a crucial part of the company’s culture and success, according to Loomer.

“Setting these four individuals apart from our growing management team allows us to ensure that every new client, every business decision and every staff member has been vetted and considered in our growth plans,” she said.

The senior management team consists of directors of finance and analytics, revenue-cycle management, client services and clinical services.

The unit features three MedBridge veterans, each with nearly a decade of service to the company, and one recent addition with nursing and management experience.

Caleb Rhoads is the director of finance and analytics. He provides fiscal oversight, budgetary control and analytical expertise to MedBridge clients. This allows MedBridge to monitor trends for each client and identify opportunities for increased profitability or cost savings on which to capitalize.

Rhoads is in charge of leveraging the company’s deep analytical findings into a fully customized reporting suite for all clients, providing personalized insight that is critical to their decision-making.

Rhoads, who marks 10 years with MedBridge in December, previously served as controller. He became financial services director in 2010 before accepting his current position.

Shannon Leal, accounting manager since 2011, was promoted to controller upon Rhoads’ appointment to the senior management team.

Ashley Nagaoka is now director of revenue cycle management, overseeing the daily operations of MedBridge’s revenue cycle, namely the Patient Services and Billing and Accounts Receivable departments. She supports the managers of those departments.

Nagaoka ensures the revenue cycle runs smoothly by bringing her understanding of insurance collections and contracts to the team. She has been with the company since 2009, previously serving as accounts receivable coordinator, resource manager and accounts receivable manager.

Audrey Dunlop has taken the reins as director of client services, wherein she serves as the main contact for all of MedBridge’s surgery center and physician practice clients. Dunlop ensures clients are well taken care of and administratively compliant for accreditation and certification.

With years of revenue cycle operational oversight and on-the-ground experience at ASCs, she can speak into current processes at the facility level and provide solutions and training in the changing health care atmosphere.

Also at MedBridge for 10 years, Dunlop most recently served as general manager since 2012. She has worked in other roles including accounting, patient care, surgery center development and licensure/accreditation, nursing-staff supervision, partner relations, human resources and surgery scheduler coordination.

Patty Harrison, MN, BSN, RN, became MedBridge’s Southern California director of clinical services in the first quarter of 2015, but her role recently was expanded to include Northern California.

Harrison oversees clinical operations for MedBridge’s ASCs and is responsible for achieving and maintaining all accreditation and certification standards for each center. Her expertise lies in project development and business advancements in the surgical arena.

With some 10 years of nursing and management experience, she guides each ASC to achieve excellence in health care standards and quality patient care. She has successfully managed and operated medical outpatient and surgical centers through a collaborative approach among surgeons and staff.

Harrison has been involved in medical volunteerism programs locally and abroad, is a recipient of several nursing awards, and is regularly named on the Becker’s ASC Review annual list of ASC Administrators to Know.

“MedBridge has been committed to growing and changing since our inception, and this is even more critical in today’s shifting health care landscape,” Loomer said.

“We are constantly asking ourselves what we can do differently — smarter, better, faster — to support the surgeons and specialists who trust us to manage their businesses. From daily processes to overarching infrastructure changes, we aim to be innovative and proactively ahead of the industry,” she said.

Additional information is at www.MedBridge.md.

— Ryan Graff for MedBridge.