Maine Network for Health is a provider-owned organization with a contracted provider network of 12 hospitals and almost 800 physicians practicing in Maine.
Bio: Steve Ryan is President/CEO of Maine Network for Health. Steve joined MNH (then Health Net) in 1999 as Chief Operating Officer, and has overseen its growth in terms of network size and range of services. Prior to coming to MNH, Steve was Director of Network Operations for Tufts Health Plan of New England in Portland, Maine. Steve holds a M.S. degree in Health Care Administration from Simmons College in Boston. He is active in the Maine Health Management Coalition and the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, including the Government Affairs Committee and Health Care Subcommittee. Steve is Vice-Chairman on the Executive Committee of Quality Counts!, a collaboration focused on improving the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses, and is Chairman of the Board for Friends of Midcoast Maine, a non-profit promoting sensible growth. He also is past-editor of and current contributor to The BEACON, the statewide newsletter of the Maine Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).
Bio: Melinda Wood is the Network & Credentialing Manager for MNH. In this role she oversees and is the primary powerhouse for completion of all of the credentialing, payor notifications, data entry and reporting and everything else having to do with the MNH Network of almost 1,000 providers. Melinda is also the key contact person to assist hospital and office billing staff with payor problems that rise to the level of a “contract issue”. Prior to coming to MNH, Melinda worked for Anthem BC/BS, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Maine, and Machigonne Health Administrators in a variety of roles. When not working tirelessly on network management, Melinda is an active member of MeAMSS, the Maine chapter of the Association of Medical Staff Services. She also is an officer of the Eastern Maine Agility Club (EMAC), a non-profit canine agility competition organization.
Bio: Linda Coleman is Manager of Quality Support Services, a major service line at Maine Network for Health. Linda joined MNH in 2004 as a Coordinator in support of various learning collaboratives sponsored by Institute of Medical Improvement, EMHS. She was promoted to Manager in 2005 and has since led the department in expanding its services specializing in quality improvement and project management roles for various quality initiatives throughout the state. She currently serves as Quality Improvement Coach for several practices and health centers as part of Maine’s Patient-Centered Medical Home pilot project and is working with the Care Manager Forum as part of the Bangor Beacon Community federal grant project. Linda holds a M.S. degree from Husson University. Prior to MNH, Linda was Director of EMCC’s Business and Industry Center and Institute for Quality Improvement. Linda’s leadership has included recent roles as Vice Chair and Chair of Maine Practice Improvement Network from 2007-2011 and Past Chair, American Society for Quality--Dirigo Section.
Bio: Georges Nashan, RN, MS, CPHQ –
Georges has been a Quality Improvement Advisor at MNH since 1997. He uses his 30 years of healthcare experience to help clients assess, plan and execute improvement efforts, meet strategic goals and prepare for the future. He has project management, process improvement, program assessment, technology implementation, regulatory compliance and policy development experience, having provided leadership and/or support to a wide variety of clients and many regional, state-wide and national initiatives.
Recent projects have included directing a state-wide Behavioral Health Integration grant, coaching Primary Care practices in the Maine Patient Centered Medical Home Pilot, process analysis for a multi-hospital EHR rollout and supporting a local hospital through a successful federal survey response.
Bio: Karen Hudgins is the Administrative Assistant of Maine Network for Health. Karen joined MNH in January 2011 to support and assist with Office Administration, Credentialing, Quality Support and edit our newsletter “Maine Network”. Prior to coming to MNH, Karen worked as an Information Specialist with Montgomery County (MD) Infant and Toddlers Program and 17 years with the University of Maine. She graduated from Husson University with a major in Office Administration. Previously she held the position of President of the Classified Scholarship Committee at the University of Maine that raised funds to offset educational expenses for students. She also held office as President and Secretary of a social support group that helped individuals overcome the loss of a relationship due to death, divorce, or separation. Currently she is a Notary for the State of Maine.
