Arizona Management and Leadership Bios

Lawrence Shapiro, MD
Chairman of Health Services Holdings, Inc., Board of Directors
Chairman of the HSAG Board of Directors
Chairman of FMQAI Board of Directors

Throughout his distinguished 45-year career, Dr. Shapiro maintained a private gastroenterology practice in Phoenix while serving the Arizona medical community in Medicare quality improvement leadership roles. Dr. Shapiro currently provides overall leadership and direction as president and chairman of the board of Health Services Holdings, Inc., the parent company of HSAG; chairman of the board of directors for HSAG, Arizona; chairman of the board for HSAG of California; and chairman of the board of FMQAI in Florida. Dr. Shapiro also has served on the boards of directors of numerous other organizations, including Blue Shield Arizona, the Arizona Medical Association, St. Joseph’s Hospital, the American Medical Peer Review Association, the American Health Quality Association, and the Leadership Task Force; and he has served as president of the Maricopa Foundation for Medical Care. In 1972 and 1978, he was awarded distinguished service medals for community service by the Maricopa County Medical Society. Dr. Shapiro also received the 2004 Laureate Award from the Arizona Chapter of the American College of Physicians, which recognized him as a leader in HSAG’s efforts to enhance the quality of medical care in Arizona. The Laureate Award is presented to "longstanding and loyal supporters of the college who have rendered distinguished service to their chapters and community and have upheld the high ideals and professional standards for which the college is known." Dr. Shapiro has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Stanford University in San Francisco and he is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He also received post-graduate training at the Universities of Colorado, Illinois, and California at Los Angeles.

Mary Ellen Dalton, PhD, RN, MBA, CHCA
Secretary/Treasurer, Health Services Holdings, Inc. (HSH)
Chief Executive Officer, HSAG, Arizona

Dr. Dalton is the chief executive officer (CEO) of HSAG, Arizona, a position to which she brings 35-plus years of experience in Medicare, Medicaid, and the private health care industry sector. In her role as Arizona CEO, she provides quality improvement organization (QIO) guidance in developing strategic vision, leadership, and direction for QIO activities, and has been instrumental in the growth of the organization over and above the company’s QIO responsibilities. Dr. Dalton has an extensive background in external quality review (EQR) and directs the company’s contracts in more than a dozen states. Additionally, she provides EQR oversight for HSAG’s satellite offices in Ohio, Hawaii, and Colorado. As an NCQA-certified HEDIS compliance auditor, Dr. Dalton also conducts thorough audits of Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health plans to ensure data collection and reporting procedures are in compliance with HEDIS specifications and are comparable to reported rates from other health plans. Dr. Dalton earned her diploma in nursing in 1970 in New Jersey and her Bachelor of Science Degree in Allied Health Specialty in Nursing from Colorado Women’s College in 1977. She earned her Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1999 from the Executive Program at Arizona State University and her PhD in public administration in 2008, also from ASU, where she currently serves as an adjunct faculty member. She is also credentialed as a Diplomat of the American Board of Quality Assurance & Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. (ABQAURP), and is a certified professional in utilization review (CPUR). Moreover, Dr. Dalton presently serves as a member of the board of directors for FMQAI, the QIO in Florida; HSAG of California; and the American Health Quality Association.

Rick Potter, CPA, MBA, CHCA
Executive Vice President, HSAG Arizona

Mr. Potter currently serves as the executive vice president for HSAG, Arizona, and as chief executive officer for HSAG of California. As executive vice president, Mr. Potter leads HSAG, Arizona, in the CEO’s absence and represents the organization in the community. He is also responsible for the oversight and management of both the Federal and State & Corporate divisions, including operational performance and staff development as well as contract issues and the production of reports and other deliverables. As HSAG of California’s CEO, he provides guidance and leadership for all company activities. Mr. Potter has extensive experience in health care quality systems and managed care programs as they relate to performance-based contracting, and in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reimbursement systems. As deputy director for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) from 1996 to 1998, he successfully designed, planned, and implemented Arizona’s CHIP program, KidsCare, and he gained legislative consensus for a $60 million state Premium Sharing Program that provided health insurance to uninsured workers and their families. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. Potter was responsible for financial and operational oversight of the AHCCCS acute care health plans, long-term care program contractors, and regional behavioral health authorities. Subsequent to this, as a principal with William M. Mercer, Inc., he managed projects to establish risk-adjusted rates, operational and financial health plan reviews, and quality assurance programs. Mr. Potter received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from California State University, Northridge, and his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Executive MBA Program at Arizona State University.

Joellen Tenison, CPA, MBA
Vice President, Administration/Chief Financial Officer, Health Services Holdings, Inc. (HSH)
Vice President, Administration/Chief Financial Officer, HSAG, Arizona

Ms. Tenison currently serves as vice president, administration and as chief financial officer for HSH; HSAG, Arizona; and FMQAI, as well as secretary/treasurer for HSAG of California. She began her career with HSAG in 1997. In her current position, Ms. Tenison is responsible for the financial management of all projects, including budget tracking and development of proposals and strategic plans to support corporate goals and objectives. She has oversight responsibilities for corporate financial management and administrative development, and she directs the day-to-day administrative, accounting, and office-support functions of the company. Ms. Tenison also oversees compliance with federal regulations, prepares proposals, leads negotiations, oversees financial management, and functions as a subject-matter expert. She is a member of a finance committee (FISHNET) for the American Health Quality Association and works with quality improvement organizations to establish best practices as they relate to financial and administrative tasks. For HSH’s subsidiary company, FMQAI, Ms. Tenison directs and coordinates finance activities. This includes financial reporting at the board, corporate, and project levels; preparing project budgets; monitoring and reporting project costs against the budgets; and overseeing overall performance on all projects. Ms. Tenison has over 30 years of experience in accounting, finance, contract compliance management services, and systems development for commercial and government entities at the executive level. In addition, Ms. Tenison has held positions as a senior auditor for the auditor general of Arizona and as vice president and chief financial officer for several large banking institutions and commercial companies. During her tenure, she acquired expertise in mergers and acquisitions, government contracting, and implementation of Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR). Ms. Tenison is a certified public accountant who earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University.

Howard Pitluk, MD, MPH, FACS
Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, HSAG, Arizona

As HSAG’s vice president and chief medical officer, Dr. Pitluk is responsible for all physician activities related to case review and beneficiary protection, including support for 150 physician advisers. In addition, Dr. Pitluk works closely with hospitals and physicians to provide information and guidance on the public reporting of clinical data, development of quality improvement plans, and incorporation of evidenced-based quality improvement measures into aspects of patient care. From 2005–2009, Dr. Pitluk served as the medical director for the National Quality Monitoring Contractor (NQMC) contract for the TRICARE Management Activity, where he oversaw quality review for 9 million TRICARE beneficiaries. His special interest in health information technology is focused on the use of electronic health records (EHRs) to improve patient care, quality measurement and outcomes, and transitions of care. This led to his involvement in the Doctors’ Office Quality-Information Technology (DOQ-IT) initiative, the nationwide CMS project to implement the use of EHRs in clinical office practice. Dr. Pitluk has more than 30 years of experience in health care. In past years he has been board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. From 1979 through 1998, he was a private practice physician specializing in general and vascular surgery and was an associate clinical professor of surgery at Case-Western Reserve University College of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon completion of his Master’s Degree in Public Health in 2001, he led the formation of the Institute for Consumer Empowerment, a consortium of health care professionals dedicated to the education and self activation of patients and providers in a holistic approach to wellness and disease prevention.

Mary Fermazin, MD, MPA
Vice President, Health Policy & Quality Measurement, HSAG, Arizona

As HSAG’s vice president for health policy & quality measurement, Dr. Fermazin provides leadership for medical, quality measurement, long term care, and health disparity aspects of the organization’s quality studies. She also serves as the medical director for HSAG’s quality improvement organization (QIO) program in California and is the project director for CMS’ Measures Management Special Project. Prior to her work at HSAG, she established statewide medical policies and utilization review criteria and evaluated new benefits and medical technology during her tenure at the California Department of Health Services. As chief of the state’s Office of Clinical Standards and Quality, she established quality improvement strategies for the oversight of the Medicaid managed care program. For several years she also served on the NCQA Committee for Performance Measurement, responsible for the development of the Health Plans Employer Data Information Set, now called the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®). Dr. Fermazin is a general internist with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pre-Medicine from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Philippines; a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco; and a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. She has more than 25 years of health care industry experience as a physician, medical quality consultant, and quality improvement and measurement expert. In addition, Dr. Fermazin currently serves on the board of directors of the Arizona Geriatrics Society and is an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University.

Laura Giordano, RN, MBA, CPHQ
Vice President, Surveys, Research & Analysis, HSAG

Ms. Giordano is currently the vice president of surveys, research & analysis and has been with HSAG since 1994. In this capacity, she directs overall operations and work activities and directs strategic planning activities for continued corporate growth and new business development for her division, including CMS national special projects and initiatives. She is currently the project director for the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) and the CAHPS® Hospital Survey (HCAHPS), and has also been a member of national technical expert panels. During her tenure at HSAG, Ms. Giordano has overseen the growth and development of the Surveys, Research & Analysis Division, to include multiple projects that have received national acclaim. Ms. Giordano has more than 30 years of experience in the health care field, including executive management experience. Ms. Giordano’s broad health care background integrates quality management expertise with extensive program development and administrative experience. Prior to joining HSAG, she participated in the design and implementation of a statewide capitated managed care behavioral health system, negotiated contracts, and evaluated agency-level administrative and clinical performance. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Molloy College in New York and her Masters in Business Administration, with a concentration in Hospital and Health Care Management, from Adelphi University in New York. Ms. Giordano is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and is a member of the American College of Medical Quality.

Mark Emery, MBA
Chief Technology Officer, Health Services Holdings, Inc. (HSH)
Chief Technology Officer, HSAG, Arizona

Mr. Emery currently serves as the chief technology officer for HSH and for HSAG, Arizona; HSAG of California; and FMQAI in Florida. In this capacity, he has oversight responsibilities for all information technology operations. Mr. Emery has more than 20 years of development and senior management experience that encompasses a diversity of communications and information technology (IT) infrastructures, voice/data products, IP/ATM networking technologies, CPE, and health care IT and services. He also holds multiple U.S. patents. When he began his career as a software systems engineer at Kennedy Space Center in the late 1970s, he was responsible for space shuttle orbiter guidance, navigation, and controls. Mr. Emery also built and led a revolutionary Web-based electronic health record (EHR) and service firm and designed and built expert engine-based ASP software and services. He codesigned an EHR systems model that has been adopted by the Arizona Governor’s Health Information Agency eHealth Task Force as the foundation for the state’s system. In addition, he has performed analysis for more than 78 physician practices in the Arizona Doctors’ Office Quality—Information Technology (DOQ-IT) program under HSAG’s Arizona Medicare quality improvement organization contract. Mr. Emery holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration in Operations and Strategic Marketing from Arizona State University.