As Ascension Medical Group (AMG) continues to make virtual care a priority, Scott Eathorne, MD, is joining as Chief Medical Officer, Optimal Care Model.
Dr. Eathorne will facilitate strategic clinical relationships with physicians and advanced practice providers to grow virtual care, as well as help to drive AMG’s direct-to-employer strategy. This includes advancing the adoption of Direct-to-Consumer Virtual Care (on demand care for minor illnesses and ailments); Virtual Provider Office (primary and specialty care for generally stable, minimally complex, or healthy populations, serving both acute and chronic illnesses); and Provider-to-Provider Consultations (providing access to consultative services across geographies).
A family medicine physician and leader, Dr. Eathorne has spent his career working collaboratively with other clinicians, setting strategy, and leading initiatives in quality and utilization improvement. He also has been actively involved in graduate medical education.
Dr. Eathorne previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Together Health Network, the clinically integrated network in Michigan that included Ascension, Trinity Health and Michigan Medicine. In this role, he led more than 6,000 affiliated physicians and healthcare providers in improving access, reducing cost and enhancing quality of care. He was also responsible for pursuing value-based contracts with payers and direct to employers with more than 100,000 lives under management.
Dr. Eathorne has continued practicing primary care medicine, including virtual visits. Additionally, he has led virtually enabled care initiatives in Michigan as well as data-driven efforts to identify and reduce clinical variation in care.
Dr. Eathorne will report to Thomas Graf, MD, FAAFP, Senior Vice President, Ascension, Clinical & Network Services, and President, Ascension Medical Group. He will collaborate with Steve Abramson, Vice President, Contracting & Payor Relations, Ascension, on direct-to-employer strategy. He also will work closely with Michelle Heavens, Senior Director, Operational Excellence, AMG, on the Clinical & Network Services FY20 goal to increase the number of virtual care visits from an FY19 baseline of 3,452 to a total of 10,000 visits.
