Currently, Joe serves over fifty providers and over 180 employees in his role as Chief Executive Officer at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics, a comprehensive orthopedic practice situated in the heart of Central California. Joe has been with Sierra Pacific Orthopedics since 2001, the year of the company’s formation. Joe’s experience in growing a comprehensive, sub-specialized orthopedic practice from six to fifty providers, in less than ten years, when combined with over ten years of hospital and national accounting firm experience, has afforded him with the opportunity to be involved in a host of unique, client-focused experiences. It is these experiences in the healthcare and financial industries that more than qualify him to assist many organizations with growth, development, operations and strategy.
Early career experience with Ernst & Young and Deloitte, in the areas of taxation and financial reporting, working for a variety of industries, including, agriculture, financial institutions, manufacturing, and oil and gas, have provided Joe the opportunities of working one on one with businesses and their owners. It was this experience that laid the groundwork for Joe’s interest and understanding of strategic development and operations of a successful medical organization.
Joe’s ascension in the hospital industry was fast, and fueled his enjoyment of working directly with physicians. In his hospital role, he developed a managed care and decision support department focusing on serving the various clinical departments within Kaweah Delta Health System, a 581 bed, eight campus healthcare district. Joe created service line reporting systems for use by the 300 physician medical staff and led discussions with clinical managers and physicians alike, educating them on reimbursement philosophies and profitability in each of their respective areas. He also collaborated with physician groups, including Visalia Medical Group, Key Medical Group and Kaweah Sierra Medical Group, on payor relation strategies and contract negotiations.
It was Joe’s enjoyment of his hospital physician interactions that made him embrace his current role, and the opportunity to form a group from the ground up. Through strategic planning and development of the organization, he has created a model that keeps labor costs low, and utilizes experts in various service industries to get the highest quality services performed for his practices. He is specifically skilled in handling physician relations, recruitment strategies, strategic planning, growth and development.
Joe is well connected with his colleagues in healthcare and business across the country, through his involvement in the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and the American Association of Orthopaedic Executives (AAOE). The relationships forged through these associations affords Joe valuable resources to seek additional insights on his projects, while collaborating with colleagues to share his knowledge. Professor Tom Burns, Manager Graduate Business Programs at California State University Fresno has known Joe for over 10 years and often turns to him as a trusted resource.
“I consider Joe one of our go to people for good advice and consulting. He has the great educational training (BA Accounting, MBA) and the experience as the CEO of a medical company to help solve and offer creative ideas to help any business. He can present solutions that consider many different aspects of a business, finance, market development, operations and human talent.”
Along with his involvement in MGMA and AAOE, Joe holds distinctions as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), a Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE), through the American College of Certified Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) and holds an MBA from Fresno State University. He served as a board member for Fresno Rescue Mission Foundation and River Park Little League, where he also coached his two sons. Currently, Joe serves on the Board of Lanna Coffee, a non-profit organization benefiting the hill tribes of Northern Thailand.