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MMA's professional staff presently includes individuals with expertise and experience in virtually all aspects of medical practice management. All of our consultants share the common characteristic of having a strong understanding of the economics of medical practice and the mind set of the physician in private practice, combined with a technically sophisticated approach to medical practice management.

A brief summary of the qualifications of our professional staff follows:

Charles Y. Thomason, III, President
Charles Y. Thomason, III, President
Mr. Thomason established Medical Management Associates in 1982 having been involved in practice management consulting since 1977. He received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he participated in the Program in Hospital and Medical Systems. He began his career in the Health Systems Research Center at Georgia Tech and was on the faculty of the School of Health Systems from 1975 through 1986. Mr. Thomason has expertise in all areas of medical practice management, with particular interest in physician compensation, managed care, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning and facility design.



Russell B. Still, Executive Vice President
Russell B. Still, Executive Vice President
Mr. Still is Executive Vice President of MMA and has been with the firm since 1986. His education includes a Finance degree from the University of South Alabama. Russ has been involved in healthcare management since 1980. His experience includes hospital operations, finance and accounting and area operations for a national urgent care company. He has expertise in the full range of management services provided by the firm including strategic planning, organizational development, regulatory issues, coding and reimbursement, compensation models, practice mergers, employment contracts, buy-sell agreements, technology and all aspects of practice operations. Russ also enjoys and is a requested speaker for industry groups on various healthcare related topics.



Lawrence Geller, Vice President of Consulting Services
Lawrence Geller, Vice President of Consulting Services
Mr. Geller holds an undergraduate liberal arts degree from Rider University, a Master of Health Services Management from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Detroit. Mr. Geller's experience includes employment as a healthcare policy analyst, ambulatory care manager and a hospital administrator in a number of acute care facilities. He is involved in all aspects of MMA's services with a concentration in employment contracts, buy-sell agreements, appraisals, mergers and acquisitions, physician compensation, as well as practice start-ups. Mr. Geller is a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers ("IBA"), American College of Healthcare Executives ("ACHE") and Medical Group Management Association ("MGMA").


Peter F. Lyle, Director of Practice Management Services
Peter F. Lyle, Director of Practice Management Services
Mr. Lyle holds a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a Certificate in Health Systems Planning from Georgia Tech and has completed an Executive Program in Management at The Wharton School. Mr. Lyle has been in management consulting and healthcare planning since 1988 and has expertise in all areas of practice management. His areas of concentration include mergers; employment, buy-sell and compensation agreement planning; total practice management including organizational re-engineering, operations, business financial planning, information systems, compliance programs, personnel management and managed care contracting.



Terrence A. Knight, Director of Facility Planning Services
Terrence A. Knight, Director of Facility Planning Services
Terrence A. Knight is Director of Facility Planning Services for Medical Management Associates, Inc. In his years with the firm, he has been involved in all aspects of MMA's services, but now concentrates on practice startups, space planning activities, construction management, equipment planning, practice valuations, equipment appraisals, development of OSHA compliance manuals and performance of OSHA training for client practices.

Mr. Knight has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Georgia in Zoology and a Master of Science in Health Systems from Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Knight has been involved in health care consulting since 1982 and has been with the firm since 1987. Prior to joining MMA, Mr. Knight worked with other health care consulting and practice management firms and has been a practice administrator. Mr. Knight served four plus years in the U.S. Army as a German linguist and interpreter to the base commander and S-2 functions, while based in Augsburg, Germany.



Edward C. Luke, Jr., Senior Associate
Edward C. Luke, Jr., Senior Associate
Mr. Luke has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting from Augusta State University (formerly Augusta College) and has held the position of Chief Financial Officer of a number of healthcare facilities and as a practice management consultant prior to becoming associated with MMA. Mr. Luke has been involved in various aspects of healthcare management since 1976 and his expertise includes ambulatory surgery center development (state regulatory issues, licensure, Medicare certification and accreditation), practice reviews, staffing, practice valuations, work distribution, personnel, internal financial controls, accounts receivable management, operational analysis and practice establishment. Mr. Luke is a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers (“IBA”) and has recently completed the IBA Advanced Theory and Applications of Business Valuation course.



Rainey L. Thompson, Senior Associate
Rainey L. Thompson, Senior Associate
Rainey Thompson holds an undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration with a healthcare concentration from Boston University. Ms. Thompson has worked in the healthcare field since 1980 as both a financial manager and as a consultant. She has been with Medical Management Associates, Inc. since 1996. Her areas of expertise include practice operations, including mergers and practice start-ups, financial analysis and compensation planning. Ms. Thompson also coordinates recruitment services for MMA.



Karen M. Beard, Senior Associate
Karen M. Beard, Senior Associate
Ms. Beard has been with Medical Management Associates, Inc. since 1991 where she has provided a wealth of experience in managed care contracting, provider relations, physician reimbursement and CPT coding. She is a popular and highly rated presenter for MMA for seminars and workshops, and is the chief meeting planner for physician Continuing Medical Education (CME) Programs for MMA's physician network clients. She is a Certified in Professional Coder (CPC), certified by the American Academy of Professional Coders in CPT, HCPCS and ICD-9-CM coding for physicians, as well as a Certified Healthcare Compliance Consultant (CHCC). Ms. Beard also has over twenty-five years of experience in healthcare financing through her previous positions with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia and United Healthcare of Georgia. Ms. Beard is involved in all aspects of physician network development, managed care, Medicare and Medicaid credentialing, and is the network administrator for a fifty-practice OB/GYN network with over 180 physicians. She has specific expertise in physician practice compliance with state and federal billing guidelines, and all aspects of HIPAA Privacy, Security and Electronic Transaction standards. She has been a contributor to or a resource for "Ask the expert" sections of compliance, coding and practice management newsletters.



Harry D. Shrago, Senior Associate
Harry D. Shrago, Senior Associate
Mr. Shrago holds an undergraduate liberal arts degree from Grinnell College, a Master of Arts from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration with a finance concentration from Georgia State University. His healthcare experience includes work in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. He has served as CEO of a federally-funded health systems agency, CFO of a hospital consortium, and Director of Contracting for a health maintenance organization. His expertise includes network development, risk-based managed care contracting and physician reimbursement.



Mary Beth Black, Senior Associate
Mary Beth Black, Senior Associate
Ms. Black has been with MMA since 1996. She has a Master's degree in Business Administration, a Master's degree in Health Administration from Georgia State University and is certified by the American Academy of Professional Coders as a Certified Professional Coder. Ms. Black was previously in charge of a national health services study based out of the Atlanta Veteran's Administration Medical Center. She has experience in managed care contracting, CPT code documentation requirements, CPT code utilization, physician reimbursement and provider relations. Ms. Black presents many seminars regarding Medicare and CPT Coding. She is also the network administrator for a large management services organization in North Carolina, which represents over 200 physicians in 50 practices. She is the chief meeting planner for this organization's administrators and organizes the CME programs for the physicians. Ms. Black also has extensive experience with ambulatory surgery center development, accreditation and licensure including the development of policies and procedures instrumental for an ambulatory surgical center's successful operations. Ms. Black is a resource for such coding newsletters as Part B News.



David E. Swink, Director of Internet Services
David E. Swink, Director of Website Design
Mr. Swink earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Western Carolina University. Before joining MMA, he worked in product engineering for a software company. During his tenure there, he fulfilled several roles in the full software development life cycle of products specializing in industrial management. He has experience in project management, database design, and web development. Currently, David is responsible for designing web solutions tailored for MMA clients, using the latest in technology including Javascript, DHTML, ASP, PHP, databases (SQL Server, Oracle, MS Access & mySQL), web graphics, SSL for secure submission forms & sites, and ecommerce.



Cliff Richards, Associate
Cliff Richards, Associate
Mr. Richards recently received his undergraduate degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. While pursuing his degree, Mr. Richards worked at MMA as a Project Analyst before joining the firm on a full-time basis. He has been involved in a number of different projects including appraisals, mergers and acquisitions, physician compensation, as well as accounts receivable and personnel management.


Doug Heslep, Associate
Doug Heslep, Associate
Mr. Heslep recently received his undergraduate degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. While pursuing his degree, Mr. Heslep worked at MMA as a Project Analyst before joining the firm on a full-time basis. He has been involved in a large number of the services provided by the firm including, practice operations, financial controls, business financial planning, accounts receivable management, practice performance trending and the development and on-going administration of physician compensation plans


Holly H. Howell, Associate
Holly H. Howell, Associate
Ms. Howell holds an undergraduate degree in Management from Georgia Tech and a Master’s Degree of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources from Georgia State University. She was previously responsible for managed care contracting for a national preferred provider organization. Ms. Howell also has experience in hospital-based practice management, provider relations, physician reimbursement, staff development and total quality management.



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In addition to the above professionals, MMA's staff includes a medical space planner and an interior designer, as well as a highly-qualified support staff.

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Medical Management Associates, Inc.
3330 Cumberland Boulevard Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30339
Voice (770) 951-8427 Facsimile (770) 951-2157
Email clientservices@medicalmanagement.com
www.medicalmanagement.com