Karen Wood

Karen Wood has over 30 years of administrative, training and consulting experience in the healthcare industry.  Most recently she has been employed by Marietta Eye Clinic (MEC), a large ophthalmology practice in NW Atlanta.  MEC is a privately-owned physician group founded in 1967 that currently offers services in seven sites utilizing 12 physicians and 3 optometrists.  To better meet patient and community needs, the practice has optical shops in each of the six medical offices and consultation space for surgical referrals in their ambulatory surgery center.  After initially serving in a consulting role, Ms. Wood assumed the Practice Administrator position in early 2002 to implement a reorganization plan.  With that commitment satisfied, she has recently returned to her consulting practice.

Two noteworthy events validated her contribution to the owners and employees of MEC and the delivery of services to their ophthalmology patients:
(1) Based on 2004 data, MEC was recognized in 2005 by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) as a “Better-Performing Practice” in the profitability and cost management area.  This designation recognized the performance and processes that Karen put in place that resulted in MEC having greater than the median for total medical revenue after operating cost per FTE physician; and, less than the median for operating cost per medical procedure (inside the practice).
(2) Karen was designated “Practice Administrator of the Year” in 2006 by the Georgia Chapter of the Medical Group Management Association - GMGMA.  The award presentation highlighted that during her four year tenure with MEC, she was instrumental in:

• growing practice revenues by 59.8%;
• doubling the number of practice employees;
• adding three new Doctors (including a physician that added a new retina service);
• renovating two clinic sites (including a significant expansion of one);
• building a new clinic facility (tripling the size of the prior clinic); and,
• constructing and opening an accredited 3-OR outpatient surgery center.

Prior to joining MEC, Ms. Wood was Senior Practice Management Consultant with HealthCare Consultants of America, Inc. (HCCA), a member of the MAG Mutual Group.  Prior to joining HCCA, she was a senior consultant for The HealthCare Advisory Group and The Physicians Consulting Group, both Atlanta-based consulting firms that ultimately merged.  Her background also includes serving as president of her own practice management consulting and training firm; alternative delivery system analyst for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia; and office manager for a multi-site physician practice in Alabama.

Ms. Wood has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from University of Kansas. She has also received a Master's of Business Administration and Master's of Health Administration from Georgia State University.  As a consultant, she has developed and conducted many training programs for physicians and their office staffs on a wide range of topics. Her primary areas of expertise include practice reengineering; organizational development; strategic planning; physician leadership development; financial analysis and cash management; insurance/patient billing and collection procedures; and office computerization.

Ms. Wood has published articles or been featured in numerous professional journals, including Today’s Health, Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia, Plastic Surgery News, Georgia Academy of Family Practice, Healthcare Financial Management and Part B News. In addition, she has been a speaker for the Medical Association of Georgia, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Southern Medical Association and many other professional and statewide provider organizations.

Ms. Wood is currently a member of the Medical Group Management Association, Georgia Association of Healthcare Executives and the Georgia Chapter of the Medical Group Management Association.  She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and is a certified as a healthcare business consultant (CHBC) by the Institute of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants.  She has also recently served as a board member of the Georgia State University - Institute of Health Administration Alumnae and the Georgia Association of Healthcare Executives.