I was looking up a Palmetto GBA medical director this week, and I landed on a Palmetto web page that lists all
I'm pretty sure I've never seen a MAC that had such completely listed along with short biographies. Nice feature. Here's the March 1, 2021, version.
Dr, Harry Feliciano; Dr. Leland Garrett; Dr. Gabriel Bien-Willner; Dr. Miguel Brito; Dr, Judith Volkar; Dr. Shane Mull; Dr. Jason Stroud; Dr. Lisa Banker; Dr. Maria Lenaz; Dr. Angella Charnot-Katsikas.
Separately, CMS updates a director of CMD names and emails from time to time; here.
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Who are the medical directors
for Palmetto GBA?
Answer:
Harry Feliciano, M.D., MPH, is Palmetto GBA's Senior Medical Director accountable for all coverage policy activities at Palmetto GBA. Dr. Feliciano is also the lead Contractor Medical Director for home health and hospice coverage policy. His specialties are internal medicine, geriatrics, preventive medicine and public health. Dr. Feliciano brings to Palmetto GBA an intense interest in implementing new approaches to improving provider-payer communications and performance based on the principles of Lean Six Sigma.
(continues after the break)
Leland E. Garrett M.D., FACP, FASN, CPC, serves as a Contractor Medical Director for Part A and Part B coverage policy. Dr. Garrett is a nephrologist and internist by training. Before coming to Palmetto GBA, he served for 20 years as a physician in the United States Air Force, was in private practice in Raleigh, North Carolina, for 20 years and then was a Medical Director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina in the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs and subsequently the Special Investigations Unit. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and a certified coder.
Gabriel Alejandro Bien-Willner, M.D., Ph.D., is the Medical Director of the MolDX program at Palmetto GBA, which seeks to understand the molecular testing landscape to implement payer controls and coverage, and to set policy. He is a leader in the Precision Medicine space and practices as a board-certified Anatomic Pathologist and Molecular Genetic Pathologist. Dr. Bien-Willner received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine, with a doctorate in Human Molecular Genetics. His clinical training and academic tenure were at Washington University in St. Louis. Throughout his career, he has been active in research, development and advancement of molecular diagnostic services, specifically next-generation sequencing. His experience spans both academia and industry. He has worked closely with clinicians to develop clear clinical diagnostic and treatment pathways directing Precision Medicine programs for community cancer centers.
Miguel A. Brito, Jr., M.D., FCAP, FASCP, is part of the physician team for Palmetto GBA’s A/B MAC Jurisdictions J and M. Due to his expertise in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, he is also part of the MolDx program. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and went on to Medical School at the University of Florida. He completed his residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the Medical College of Virginia. After residency, he was in the active private practice of Pathology for 33 years in several roles finalizing with being a partner and owner of his own group for 15 years. He has been involved in numerous hospital leadership roles from Chief of Pathology and Laboratory, Chief of Surgery and President of the Medical Staff. He was a member and Chairman of multiple hospital committees including Credentials, Infection control, Blood utilization and Medical Staff Executive Committee. He is a member and former Vice President and Executive committee member of the Florida Society of Pathologists, member and former state issues representative and current House of Delegates representative of the College of American Pathologists, member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and Clinical Affiliate Assistant Professor of the Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine. He is a graduate of the Physician Leadership Academy of South Florida. He holds active medical licenses in the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. He is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and is board-certified by the College of American Pathologists in the specialties of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. He is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.
Judith K Volkar, M.D., MBA, FACOG, CNMP, serves as a Contractor Medical Director. Dr Volkar graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a bachelor’s in biology. After attending medical school at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, she completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Abington Memorial Hospital. Dr Volkar worked for the National Health Service Corps in West Virginia for four years and then spent 20 years in private practice in Johnstown, Pa., serving as Vice Chair of the Department of OB/GYN. Transitioning to academic practice, she was the quality director for Specialized Women’s Health at the Cleveland Clinic for four years and then the Quality Director for the department of OB/GYN at Magee Women’s Hospital Pittsburgh for five years. She is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and also serves as the ACOG advisor to the AMA CPT editorial board.
Shane R. Mull, M.D., MHA, FAAFP, FACHE, CPC-A, serves as a Contractor Medical Director. Dr. Mull graduated from the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Chemistry. He then attended the University of South Carolina School of Medicine to earn his M.D. and completed a Family Medicine Residency in Greenwood, S. C.. Prior to joining Palmetto GBA he practiced in various capacities including rural health, emergency departments, urgent care and previously served as the Chief of Primary Care for a U.S. Army Hospital. He has earned an MHA from the Medical University of South Carolina and is a certified professional coder.
Jason D. Stroud, M.D., M.S., After graduation from Clemson University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Bioengineering, Dr. Stroud attended the Medical University of South Carolina and completed a residency in Family Medicine with the Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Stroud has experience practicing medicine in a variety of settings including emergency room, urgent care, and private practice. Prior to joining Palmetto GBA, Dr. Stroud was in private practice in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. He currently serves as a Contractor Medical Director for A/B MAC Jurisdictions J and M. He is board-certified in Family Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Lisa Banker, M.D., FACP, CPE, CCS, CCDS, serves as a Contractor Medical Director for Part A and Part B coverage policy for A/B MAC Jurisdictions J and M. She is a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received her M.D. degree from the Medical College of Ohio. Dr. Banker is an internist by training with 14 years of practice as a primary care physician followed by several years as a hospitalist program director. Over the past several years, Dr. Banker has served as a physician administrator with a unique role encompassing hospital revenue cycle integrity, value analysis, compliance, and clinical documentation excellence work. She is a board-certified internist, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a previous director of the American College of Physician Advisors, a certified coding specialist and a certified documentation specialist. Dr. Banker has lived in the same coastal North Carolina community for 25 years with her physician husband raising three wonderful children.
Maria Lenaz, M.D., M.S., MMM, serves as a Contractor Medical Director for Part A and B coverage policy. She is an obstetrician gynecologist by training and most recently has served as a health plan medical director. Her experience includes academia and insurers. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a Fellow of the American Association of Physician Leadership.
Angella Charnot-Katsikas, M.D., is a Medical Director for the MolDX program at Palmetto GBA. She is a board-certified Clinical Pathologist with subspecialty training in Clinical Microbiology, Molecular Genomic Pathology and Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Charnot-Katsikas received her M.D. degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago, and then completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Chicago where she served as an Associate Professor of Pathology. She has also worked as a Medical Director of multiple laboratories, and has been involved in numerous research, education, quality and diagnostic stewardship initiatives throughout her career.
