Health

Health Care Resource Guide • 2016 – 2017 7 That was what Tarek Elsawy, Reliant's new president and CEO, inherited when he took the reins in January. By managing total medical expenses, implementing position control and focusing more on accountability, the nonprofit was able to turn that loss into a gain, according to Elsawy. Reliant is on track for a positive operating surplus of $15.5 million for 2016, a 2.3-percent margin gain and no lay- offs. Numbers aside, the new CEO also inherited a multispecialty medical group he says is much further along in the ongoing transition towards population health management compared to other healthcare networks across the state and even the country. Reliant, he said, also provides high levels of care, as demonstrated by its own patient satisfaction and quality rankings – showing 96.6 percent of Reliant patients would recommend their provider to others, and 97.4 percent would rec- ommend their practice. Looking beyond his first 10 months, Elsawy said he will focus on financial stabili- ty, growing Reliant's team-based care model, expanding further in existing markets, and paying attention to the potential for innovation that he said already exists within the fabric of the company. "I'm wary when people say we could become the national model for anything, but I think we absolutely could become a national model of how to deliver care," Elsawy said. continued on page 8 L ast year around this time, Reliant Medical Group was in a tight spot financially. Despite high quality and patient satisfaction ratings, Central Massachusetts' largest independent medical group had just announced it was laying off 3 percent of its 2,550 employees because of a projected budget shortfall. By year's end, the nonprofit was operating at a loss of $9.7 million, according to the company. Tarek Elsawy said he was interested in coming to work at Reliant because of its advancement towards population health management. P H O T O / N A T H A N F I S K E

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