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Management Team
In July of 2007, Joseph Hutts assembled a group of professionals that became the founding management team of BreatheAmerica. Over time, the management group expanded to broaden the team's experience and capabilities in operating outpatient airway disease centers. Collectively, the BreatheAmerica management team has extensive and successful experience among a broad cross section of healthcare fields, including hospital management, physician practice management, outpatient sectors such as ambulatory surgery and radiology, managed care and the clinical delivery of care to patients who suffer from allergy, sinus, asthma and related airway diseases.
Joseph C. Hutts
Chief Executive Officer
Joe began his healthcare career working in administrative roles for hospitals in Wisconsin and Kansas City before joining Hospital Affiliates International as the Vice President of Operations where he had direct responsibility for up to six hospitals under the company's management. Several years later, he joined Hospital Corporation of America where he held several roles, including Senior Vice President of Operations and President of HCA Management Company. Joe had direct responsibility for approximately 90 of HCA's owned hospitals which together generated revenue of approximately $1.5 billion. Joe later helped HCA merge HCA Health Plans into a joint venture with Equitable Life Assurance Society of America to form Equicor, a new managed care company generating annual revenues in excess of $2 billion and where he served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman. After the emergence of Equicor, Joe co-founded Phycor, a private practice management company. As Phycor's CEO, Joe led the company from a start-up to a publically traded company generating $1.5 billion in revenue through the operations of 55 multispecialty clinics with 3,900 physicians and an additional 35 Independent Physicians Associations representing another 19,000 physicians and a disease management company. After Phycor, Joe co-founded and served as CEO of Surgis, a private equity backed outpatient surgery center company. Under Joe's leadership, Surgis quickly grew to become the largest privately held ambulatory surgery center company in the country. It was after the sale of Surgis, that BreatheAmerica was formed.
Derril Reeves
Executive Vice President of Development
Derril holds responsibility for the growth and development of BreatheAmerica. Derril started his healthcare career with Hospital Affiliates, Inc. as the Director of Development. Hospital Affiliates was one of the very early companies in the hospital ownership and management sector. Derril was responsible for the development of contracts with local municipalities for the development and management of not-for-profit hospitals. Derril then joined Hospital Corporation of America as Vice President of Development for HCA Management Company, a new hospital management subsidiary where he led the growth of that company from 6 to 185 hospitals under management. When HCA moved into the managed care business, Derril then moved to HCA's new divisions, HCA Health Plans, where he served as Vice President of Marketing and Development. Derril later helped HCA merge HCA Health Plans into a joint venture with Equitable Life Assurance Society of America to form Equicor, a new company generating annual revenues in excess of $2 billion and where he served as Senior Vice President of National Sales. Following the emergence of Equicor, Derril joined Joe Hutts in the founding of Phycor, a private practice management company which achieved revenues up to $1.5 billion. Derril serviced as the Chief Development Officer where, under his guidance, the company grew to 55 multispecialty clinics with over 3,900 physicians, 35 Independent Practice Associations with another 19,000 physicians and a disease management company. Later, Derril co-Founded Surgis, Inc., an outpatient surgery center company where he served as Executive Vice President of Development and quickly grew the company into the largest privately held company in its sector. It was after the sale of Surgis that BreatheAmerica was formed.
Ronald R. Charpentier
Executive Vice President of Operations
Ron has responsibility for all business operations of the company and its centers. Ron comes to BreatheAmerica from Pivot Health where he had multiple consulting engagements with managed care companies, health systems and multi specialty physician groups. Prior to Pivot Health, Ron was the Chief Operating Officer for Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Inc. where he oversaw operations of the $120 million outpatient imaging company with 32 centers spread across the United States. Before Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Ron held several positions with PhyCor, including Vice President of Development, where he oversaw all aspects of the acquisition of multispecialty groups. During his tenure in development, he led in the acquisition of medical clinics that contributed $280 million in annual revenue for the company. He was also the Executive Director of Harbin Clinic, a PhyCor affiliation with 750 employees, including 110 physicians of various specialties, and numerous ancillary departments. Prior to PhyCor, Ron served as Vice President of Development for Rebound, Inc. where he led the development of the company's rehabilitation facilities and programs.
David Hagaman, M.D.
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Hagaman is responsible for overseeing all clinical operations of the company, maintaining the clinical protocols and working closely with BreatheAmerica's physicians. In addition to Dr. Hagaman's role with BreatheAmerica , he has maintained, since 2001, his position with Vanderbilt University as Director of Allergy and Immunology Training Program, Assistant Professor of Medicine for Vanderbilt's School of Medicine and Chief Operating Officer for the Vanderbilt Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program. Prior to these academic appointments, he held hospital appointments as a staff clinician at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and staff physician appointments with Pulmonary and Allergy Associates at St. Thomas Hospital and with Miller Medical Group at Baptist hospital, both in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Hagaman graduated from medical school at the Ohio State University. He completed an internal medicine internship at Medical University of South Carolina and an internal medicine residency at the Ohio State University. Dr. Hagaman later completed a Pulmonary Fellowship at the Ohio State University and an Allergy and Immunology Fellowship from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Hagaman was also a Research Fellow with the Laboratory of Allergic Disease, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institute of Health, in Bethesda Maryland. Dr. Hagaman is board certified in Internal Medicine, Allergy and Immunology and Pulmonary Disease.
Brook Bishop
Vice President of Managed Care and Development
In his dual role, Brook is responsible for managing and executing all managed care initiatives for BreatheAmerica and its centers as well as developing new centers for the company. Brook comes to BreatheAmerica from Surgis Inc. where he was Vice President of Development for Surgis. In that role, he was responsible for growing the business through the acquisition and development of outpatient surgery centers for the company. Prior to Surgis, Brook spent 8 years working for Aetna Health in various roles, including Network Manager for Aetna Health's Tennessee operations. As network manager, he was responsible for coordinating the health plans medical cost containment initiatives for its HMO and non HMO networks, and negotiating managed care contracts with health systems, physician groups and ancillary providers on behalf of the health plan.
Deborah Whiteside
Director of Clinical Operations
In her role with BreatheAmerica, Deborah is responsible for coordinating and providing support to the company's clinical operations. Deborah came to BreatheAmerica from Vanderbilt, where she most recently fulfilled a similar role with the Vanderbilt Allergy, Sinus, and Asthma Program as the Manager of Patient Care Services. She was responsible for managing the clinical staff, ensuring compliance, training, and updating the programs protocols and procedures. She also worked at Vanderbilt Allergy, Sinus and Asthma Program as a clinical RN. Prior to working with Vanderbilt Allergy, Sinus, Asthma Program, she worked at Vanderbilt as a Pediatric Asthma Center Coordinator, and as an RN in Vanderbilt's Children's Hospital Outpatient Pediatric Allergy Clinic. Deborah's nursing background also includes working as a staff nurse and in administrative positions at Sedona Medical Center, in Sedona, AZ, Portamedic Healthcare in Tucson, AZ, Chapel Hill Children's Clinic in Chapel Hill, NC and North Carolina Memorial Hospital also in Chapel Hill, NC.
A nationwide survey found that more than half (54.6%) of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens.
Immunotherapy helps reduce hay fever symptoms in about 85% of people with allergic rhinitis.
Sinusitis is one of the leading forms of chronic disease, with an estimated 18 million cases and at least 30 million courses of antibiotics per year.
Children 5-17 years of age missed 12.8 million school days due to asthma in 2003.