Our Mission
We work with our clients to evaluate program performance throughout the spectrum of the resident training experience. Our tailored recommendations support the alignment of academic performance goals for stakeholders, including; financial management, resource allocation, and organizational structure. Managing these academic variables is essential to maintaining viable teaching programs and ensuring their continued success.
Our Focus
We focus on the unique needs of the academic healthcare community, including; organizational strategy, developing new programs, optimizing existing operations, creating strategic partnerships, and enhancing overall financial performance.
Our Approach
We work in partnership with our clients to evaluate operations and develop strategies to effectively manage existing programs, assess the feasibility of developing GME teaching programs, and assist in establishing new residency programs for systems and community hospitals eligible to fund new programs. Our solutions are customized and tailored to meet the needs of the organization and community. Each facility, community, and marketplace will face a unique set of circumstances that will impact the design of the operating model. These operating variables will also affect its ability to host and train learners effectively. Individual markets will need to assess the value of GME based on their respective environment.
ACA leaders deeply understand the need for the strategic investment of limited resources and funding available to academic medical centers and teaching hospitals to achieve their missions and visions. Consideration of the various stakeholder perspectives in this environment is critical to gaining credibility with decision-makers and supporting the management of competing objectives. We understand the high-stakes decisions that must be made when preparing complex academic enterprises for the future, and we are skilled at developing approaches that build consensus and support for both small and large-scale change.
Our Team
James Brown, MHSA
Principal
Jim is a trusted healthcare advisor with more than thirty years of experience supporting preeminent academic and health system clients in strategy, operations, revenue cycle, and academic program expansion. Prior to co-founding Academic Consulting Advisors, he was a healthcare consulting Partner at Deloitte, where he had leadership roles in academic health, revenue cycle, and relationship management. He also was President at Germane Solutions, where he oversaw a significant increase in net company income over his five-year tenure. Over the course of his career, he led relationships with healthcare organizations such as; the Cleveland Clinic, Universal Health Services, and UPenn. Jim’s clients have realized significant improvement in financial performance, GME expansion of over 500 new resident slots, cap management relief, and enhanced clinical capacity in underserved communities. Service offerings have evolved with the needs of the complex healthcare market, including academic strategic planning, revenue improvement, teaching program expansion/development, ambulatory operations improvement, and community health integration.
Mike Benck
Principal
Mike is a senior healthcare executive with more than thirty years of experience supporting academic health systems, medical schools, community hospitals, and FQHCs. Mike has multi-disciplinary healthcare finance and operations experiences in academic hospitals and systems, directing/managing financial planning, implementing operations improvement, and directing system integration within hospitals/physician practices. Prior to co-founding Academic Consulting Advisors, he was the VP of Financial Planning and Decision Support Services at Northwell Health, where he designed, implemented, and managed the development of a system-wide clinical cost accounting system with BI applications. As a Senior Manager at Deloitte, Mike managed numerous GME, strategy, and financial planning engagements in the US and abroad. His GME expertise includes new program development, strategic/financial planning, development and implementation of operational infrastructure, and DGME/IME resident reporting, and developing strategic visions for new medical schools.
Joann Pavel, MBA
Senior Director
Joann is a graduate medical education leader with more than fifteen years of hospital management experience in academic medical centers from New Jersey to Ohio, and most recently as Director for Graduate Medical Education for Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. She has been instrumental in developing, operating, and managing ACGME residency and fellowship programs at the Sponsoring Institution and Program level, focusing on new program development and implementation, at-risk accreditation, and clinical training models. Joann has been a transformational leader starting graduate medical education programming in small community hospitals and migrating osteopathic residency programs to allopathic programs during our industry's single accreditation period. While working in the industry, Joann valued and encouraged all program coordinators to obtain their C-TAGME certification. Professional development for coordinators is vital in helping them to acquire new skills, knowledge, and expertise to fill this significant role in program management. Joann received her Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Seton Hall University and her Master's in Economics from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Sharon B. Zimmerman, MPA
Senior Director
Sharon is an experienced medical education leader with nearly forty years of experience in healthcare administration and consulting, including more than fifteen years of successfully assisting universities and colleges of osteopathic medicine through the expansion and accreditation. Sharon’s influence in the medical education field is evident in her key senior leadership roles for more than three decades at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She was instrumental in the development of two additional locations of the college and secured historical funding in support of medical education, capital, and research, leaving a lasting impact. Sharon's collaborative spirit is a cornerstone of her success. She has worked closely with numerous state board of regent’s offices, regional institutional accreditors, and state medical boards, building relationships and garnering approval and support requirements in the accreditation process for new medical schools. Throughout her career, Sharon has developed and enhanced relationships with large hospital organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic, OhioHealth, and Baptist Health, to expand and create new educational opportunities in medical education. Sharon holds a Master's in Political Science and a Bachelor's in Health Administration from Ohio University.
