UHealth Names New Chief for Regional Alliance
John B. Sory, who brings two decades of experience building and operating clinical research, health information technology and health services businesses in the U.S. and Europe, has been named Chief Executive of the new UHealth Regional Alliance. Among his main responsibilities are forging new relationships with hospitals and physicians outside the UHealth-University of Miami Health System network and managing UM’s contracting relationships with health plans.“The addition of a talented member of our leadership team who is focused on growth and expanding UHealth’s reach across the region is critical at this time,” said Jack Lord, M.D., Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Medical Administration of UHealth and the Miller School of Medicine. “We have spent time getting our financial footing in order, and with that foundation in place, it is time to grow and project all the great attributes of our faculty, staff, facilities and services across the region.”
Congrats, John!!! So glad our expert was able to share with us at our 25th reunion. Who will it be in June 2013???
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In addition to building new alliances, Sory, who has returned to his native Florida, is eager to take a fresh look at UHealth’s health plan contracts, and help develop new models of outcomes-based, coordinated care that the Affordable Care Act requires.
“I have worked in a number of parts of the business world but it is health care that has been my predominant interest and passion for a majority of my career. It is personal as it touches us all, and topical as discussions in all venues often come back to health and individuals’ care,” Sory said.
“Above all, now is a time calling for real reform and innovation. I want to be a part of building a greater system in this region than we have begun to envision. We have all the pieces and the commitment to do great things here for the good of our communities and as an example for the country.”
Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School of Medicine, calls Sory “a 21st century health care business visionary.” Because he merges “a patient-centered approach with best medical and business practices, he is a leader in the field,” said Goldschmidt, who is also CEO of UHealth. “He will be central to our success as we move the health system forward.”
After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a degree in economics and political science in 1987, he spent four years in the banking and finance sector before earning his M.B.A. from Dartmouth and following his heart and interests to the health care field. He managed finance, planning and business development for New York-based Pfizer’s U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group before joining Pfizer Health Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary. The subsidiary designed and operated health improvement programs, health information technologies and chronic disease management programs.
Key programs included a highly successful chronic care initiative treating Medicaid patients across the state of Florida in partnership with Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration under Governor Jeb Bush, and another chronic care program with a Medicare population in conjunction with the federal government and Humana.
In Florida and across the U.S. and Europe, Sory led the development of the technology, the training and hiring of nurses and the creation of care plans to support patients living with debilitating diseases. “Coordinating care, educating patients in culturally sensitive ways, and ensuring access to care when needed can significantly improve health and quality of life while reducing costs,” he said. That thinking meshes with his philosophy that “we should continue to build a health care system, not simply a sick care system.”
Sory was recognized by Managed Health Care Executive magazine as one of the top leaders in disease management for launching Pfizer Health Solutions’ groundbreaking coordinated care program for patients with chronic diseases in Europe and the U.S. He served as general manager of Pfizer Health Solutions for seven years before joining and leading many efforts within Philadelphia-based eResearch Technology Inc., a global provider of clinical research and health care services.
The expertise of UHealth doctors, coupled with the state-of-the-art facilities across five counties, is an enterprise that Sory hopes to share with private practice physicians and patients across our region. He says everyone can benefit from learning what UHealth offers. A top priority, he stresses, is “to build partnerships and relationships. We can partner in ways where everybody wins.”
