IRVING, Texas, Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — VHA Inc., the national health care network, today announced it has completed the acquisition of assets of Medical Development Specialists, LLC (“MDS”), a health care consulting firm located in Torrance, Calif., known in the industry as MDS Consulting.

“MDS is a well-respected company with deep industry expertise and a track record for designing effective business transformation strategies for even the most complex health care organizations,” said Byron Jobe, executive vice president service and delivery. This asset acquisition immediately helps VHA meet increasing demand from health system executives for expert resources to help them reshape their organizational structures for the new health care environment.

“We are also very excited to have Phil Dalton, the founder of MDS, join VHA. Phil is a trusted industry resource with more than 25 years of experience in developing and implementing business strategies for a broad range of health care delivery models,” said Jobe. “Phil will serve as senior vice president and lead a team of advisors with the expertise necessary to help health care providers develop and implement the transition strategies required for value-based payer contracts and population health management, as well as to meet the range of challenges involved with aligning physicians and staff with new financial goals.”

Phil Dalton said, “VHA is a first-class organization and we are excited to have the asset acquisition completed and become part of the team. MDS’ areas of expertise complement those within the great team of industry experts currently at VHA. Our combined team can deliver end-to-end transformational health care delivery strategies for a wide range of provider business models, furthering VHA’s leadership position in the industry.”

Additionally, the integration of MDS will enable VHA to develop regionally based advisory teams who understand important geographic distinctions that impact member needs related to population health, network strategies, and partnership and affiliation strategies.

VHA’s enhanced range of advisory services focused on health care delivery strategies includes:

• Hospital/physician alignment and integration readiness: Expertise in developing & implementing successful hospital/physician alignment and advanced integration strategies including: clinical integration and population health management, outpatient clinic structures, joint venture arrangements, physician organizations, and physician recruitment/retention initiatives
• Network, managed care and population health strategies: Development and implementation of integrated care networks based on health plan partnerships and population health management requirements
• Hospital, ambulatory and service line feasibility and development: Expertise in working with hospitals and health systems to maximize performance & positioning across a broad array of clinical services
• Value-based physician compensation models: Assessment and analysis in determining and evaluating the most appropriate value-based compensation methodologies for physicians
• Fair market valuations, transactions and due diligence: Comprehensive assessment of business partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions for multi-hospital systems, independent acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, specialty facilities, medical practices, and other health care entities as well as physician recruitment and compensation
• Medical group, IPA, PHO, MSO and medical foundation formation, development, operational strategies and practice optimization: Expertise in medical group formation, management and strategy as well as physician support services
• Community and physician needs assessments: Expertise in conducting comprehensive community needs assessments across the country with corresponding medical staff development plans and strategic direction for hospitals and health systems

About VHA Inc.

VHA Inc. is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations working together to improve performance and efficiency in clinical, financial and operational management. Since 1977, when VHA established the first hospital membership organization, the company has applied its knowledge in analytics, contracting, consulting and network development to help members and customers achieve their strategic objectives. In 2013, VHA delivered $2.2 billion in savings and additional value to members. Serving approximately 5,000 health system members and affiliates, VHA represents more than a quarter of the nation’s hospitals. VHA also serves more than 118,000 non-acute health care customers enterprise-wide. VHA is based in Irving, Texas, and has 12 regional offices across the U.S. VHA, together with UHC, owns Novation, a supply chain company, and aptitude^TM, the health care industry’s first online direct contracting market. VHA also owns Provista, a supply chain company serving the non-acute market as well as hospitality, education and corporate markets. For more information, visit www.vha.com and follow us on Twitter (@VHAInc).

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SOURCE VHA Inc.