EAST LANSING, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medical Advantage Group (MAG) is pleased to welcome Linda Mackensen, RN, to the organization. Linda will lead efforts to strengthen the overall performance of the Consortium of Independent Physician Associations (CIPA) in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Physician Group Incentive Program (PGIP).
Mackensen joins MAG from The Physician Alliance (TPA), a physician-owned organization representing more than 2,100 physicians in Southeast Michigan, where she was the director of practice transformation services. Her responsibilities included overseeing the operations and implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) the PCMH−Neighborhood and specialty fee uplift programs for 1,400 PGIP physicians.
“Linda’s endless energy and knowledge of PGIP/PCMH will enable us to achieve one of our primary goals of creating value for our clients by improving CIPA’s results,” said Paul MacLellan, Medical Advantage Group’s CEO.
Prior to joining TPA, Linda served as a field operations manager for BCBSM’s PGIP and PCMH program. In this role, she managed a statewide team and acted as a liaison between BCBSM and more than 40 physician organizations and clinical leaders throughout Michigan in support of primary care practice redesign and health care transformation.
“Adding an experienced leader like Linda to oversee CIPA is a critical step in enhancing MAG,” said MacLellan. “She will support our efforts to prepare for an intense effort to raise our PCMH designation levels and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and Evidence-Based Care Report (EBCR) scores in 2015.”
In addition, Mackensen’s nursing career encompasses more than 14 years in direct patient care. Plus, she has held leadership roles in the health insurance industry serving in a variety of capacities, including provider relations, hospital and physician contracting, quality improvement and physician incentive programs.
She holds associate’s degrees in liberal arts and nursing from Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, New York, and a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Mich.
In a PCMH, the patient’s physician (primary care, internist or pediatrician) leads their care team. All of the patient’s health records (including visits with specialists, test results and prescriptions ordered by other physicians) are maintained and tracked centrally within the PCMH. Patients have 24-hour access to their PCMH, a benefit that can keep patients out of the emergency room.
About Medical Advantage Group
Medical Advantage Group is a recognized leader in health care management and consulting services with over a decade of experience building and servicing health care partnerships. MAG provides a wide array of services that support the design and implementation of organizational structures that produce and implement consistent improvements in performance.
Established in 2005, CIPA, MAG’s largest client, is a pay-for performance network that consists of approximately 40 physician organizations, physician hospital organizations, independent physician associations and group practices.
