Bios – EMS EVOLUTION 2019

Gail Atnip
Provider Education Specialist, Novitas Solutions, Inc.

Gail Atnip has 36 years of experience in Medicare.  She worked for TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC for 34 years and September 2012 she joined the Novitas Solutions education team. During the time she has held various positions including claims processing, written correspondence, telephone customer service, and telephone appeal line and the enrollment call center.  She holds the current position of Provider Outreach and Education Specialist where she has served providers for the past 16 years. This team is comprised of specialists who have an extensive background with Medicare policies and claims processing.  The primary focus is to meet the educational needs of the physicians and suppliers.  This is accomplished through conducting workshops, on-site visits and speaking to various groups.

Her specialties include Ambulance, Therapy Services (PT, OT SLP), Psychiatric Services, Non-Physician Practitioners, “Incident To” Services and the liaison for Indian Health Services (IHS).

Cameron Decker, MD
Medical Director, Harris County Emergency Corps

Cameron Decker, MD, LP, FACEP is a graduate of Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine.  He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine and fellowship in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Decker is double board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS medicine, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and faculty at Ben Taub General Hospital, one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the country.

As a Licensed Paramedic, Dr. Decker has a strong background in pre-hospital care, having been active in EMS through multiple 911 departments.  Before becoming the Medical Director of Harris County Emergency Corps, he worked there as a Paramedic. He is also the Medical Director of Rice University EMS, Aldine Fire Rescue, Eastex Fire Department, Northwest Fire Rescue, Westfield Fire Department, and The Emergency Medical Task Force – 6, the state’s regional response network for large scale medical incidents.  He is a decorated police Sergeant and Tactical Physician with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office High Risk Operations Unit.

In his free time, Dr. Decker enjoys flying as a pilot, SCUBA diving, and traveling.

Amy Dodgen
EMS Section Chief, Longview Fire Department

Amy Dodgen serves as the EMS Section Chief for the Longview Fire Department.

Mark Escott, MD
Medical Director, Austin-Travis County EMS

Dr. Escott serves as the EMS System Medial Director for the City of Austin and Travis County, Texas and is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Emergency Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine.  He also is appointed as a Senior Lecturer at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.  Dr. Escott was elected Chair-elect of the Section of EMS and Prehospital Medicine of the American College of Emergency Physicians in 2015 and serves on the EMS Committee of ACEP.  He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Subspecialty Board Certified in EMS.  He has published numerous articles, abstracts, papers, and presentations related to EMS, Disaster Management, and Public Health.

Prior to his position in Austin, Dr. Escott served as the Director of the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine and EMS Fellowship Director for Baylor College of Medicine, Health Authority for the Montgomery County (Texas) Public Health District and Medical Director for the Montgomery County Hospital District EMS, Harris County ESD #48, and San Jacinto Community College-North.  In addition, he served as the Medical Director for the EMS Service and EMS education program at Rice University which he founded as an undergraduate student in 1996 after completing his training as a Firefighter and Paramedic.

Michael Furrh
EMS Chief, Colorado County EMS

Michael Furrh serves as the Director of EMS for Colorado County.

Kevin Grant
EMS Chief, Cooke County EMS

Kevin Grant serves as the chief of EMS for Cooke County EMS in Gainesville, Texas

Craig Holzheauser
Consultant, Texas EMS Alliance

Craig Holzheauser was hired as TEMSA’s lobbyist in February 2017. Prior to his lobbying work, he served as the staff director of the Texas House Public Health Committee for State Representative Myra Crownover. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a native of Victoria, Texas.

Doug Hooten
Executive Director, MedStar Mobile Healthcare

Doug Hooten is the Executive Director of MedStar Mobile Healthcare.  He has over 34 years of experience in EMS, having served as senior vice president of operations and regional director for American Medical Response, CEO of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service Trust (MAST) in Kansas City, and a variety of leadership roles with Rural/Metro Ambulance, Inc. in South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Texas.  Doug serves on the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) and is the co-author of “The Patient Experience Revolution” published in The Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) in February 2014.

Jeffrey Jarvis, MD
Medical Director, Williamson County EMS

Jeff Jarvis, MD, EMT-P is the Medical Director for Williamson County EMS and Marble Falls Area EMS. He is a practicing emergency physician at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Round Rock, Texas. His experience in Emergency Medical Services and the broader health care field spans over 30 years, beginning as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. He has served as a paramedic in three states, the Texas State EMS Training Coordinator and Department Chair of EMS Technology at Temple College. Dr. Jarvis serves on multiple committees including the Texas Governor’s Emergency & Trauma Advisory Committee Medical Directors committee, Texas College of Emergency Physicians EMS Medical Directors committee and the American College of Emergency Physicians EMS committee. He has research interests in prehospital airway management and the measurement of clinical performance.

Nim Kidd
Chief, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Nim Kidd serves as the Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). In this capacity, he is responsible for the state’s emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities. Response activities also encompass field response and daily operations to include statewide alert monitoring, management of the AMBER and Silver Alert programs, and the processing of daily requests for assistance from local jurisdictions.

His appointment as Chief of Emergency Management and Assistant Director for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) began on June 1, 2010. During his tenure, the state has managed 12 Stafford Act presidential disaster declarations, 2 Stafford Act emergency declarations, 58 Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG), and over $6 billion in federal disaster funds.

Prior to serving with DPS, Chief Kidd was appointed to the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) in April of 1993. During his time with the SAFD, he was promoted through the ranks from firefighter to District Fire Chief, including Lieutenant in charge of the SAFD Technical Rescue Team and Captain of the SAFD Hazardous Materials Response Team. From 2004 to 2010, Chief Kidd served as Emergency Manager for the city of San Antonio, where he managed the city’s response to over a dozen state and presidential disaster declarations.

Since 1997, Chief Kidd has been an original member of the Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team and responded to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Chief Kidd currently serves as a subcommittee chair for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Advisory Council (NAC), a group that advises the FEMA Administrator on all aspects of emergency management nationwide. Chief Kidd also serves as a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) Commissioner with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). In this capacity, he is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on applications for certification and recertification.

Chief Kidd holds a Masters of Public Administration from Texas State University, a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and two associates degrees. He is both a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®) and a certified Texas Emergency Manager (TEM®). Chief Kidd is also a Texas Master Firefighter and holds Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical Technician certifications.

Chief Kidd and his wife, Dr. Emily Kidd, M.D., share three children together.

Jeff Mincy
EMS Director, Coryell Memorial EMS

Jeff Mincy has served as the EMS director at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System since 2009.  He is responsible for five crews of 37 employees that run 450 calls per month. He was selected by the Texas Department of State Health as the 2015 EMS Provider of the Year.

Asbel Montes
VP of Governmental Relations and Reimbursement, Acadian Ambulance

Asbel Montes began his employment with Acadian in May 2009.  He oversees Acadian’s revenue cycle management, contract management, business office process improvements, and government relations for state and federal reimbursement policy initiatives.

Seventeen years ago, Asbel began working for an ambulance billing and consulting firm.  After three years, he decided to work for a private, non‐emergency ambulance service.  Over the past seventeen years, he has provided leadership in revenue cycle management to four ambulance agencies located throughout the Southeast.

Asbel pursued his education the non‐traditional way by attending college online while maintaining a full‐time job.  He received an associate’s degree in accounting in 2007 and graduated in November 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.

Asbel has been a member of the American Ambulance Association (AAA) for eight years and has served on its Board of Directors; he has also served on the AAAs Reimbursement Task Force.  Asbel also sits on the board of the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance.

Asbel is married to Stephenie Haney‐Montes.  He has one daughter and resides in Austin, Texas.

Scott Moore
American Ambulance Association

Scott A. Moore, Esq. has been in the emergency medical services field for nearly 30 years. Scott has held various executive positions, including Chief Executive Officer, Vice President, Director of Human Resources, & Director of Operations, and field level provider at several ambulance services in Massachusetts. Scott is a licensed attorney, specializing in Human Resources, employment and labor law, employee benefits, ambulance service reimbursement, and corporate compliance matters. Scott is the Human Resources & Operational Consultant to the American Ambulance Association (AAA) and frequently lectures at EMS conferences.

Scott is the owner of Moore EMS Consulting, LLC, which has been providing Human Resources, Revenue Cycle Management, and Employment Law services since August 2015. Scott’s principal client is the American Ambulance Association (AAA) which is the trade association representing EMS agencies in the United States. In addition to the AAA, Scott has several other clients including EMS and Home Health agencies.

Scott holds certifications as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Society for Human Resources Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer (CACO). In addition, Scott has been a Site Reviewer for the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for many years. Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Salem State College and his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. Scott maintains his EMT and still works actively in the field as a call-firefighter/EMT in his hometown. Scott is a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Northeast Human Resource Association.

Jared Mullins
Recruiting Director, School of EMS

Jared’s hometown is Daingerfield, Texas and he is a graduate of Central Texas College with a major in law enforcement.  Jared served in the United States Army for 21 years as an infantryman, recruiter, and senior instructor for the NCO Academy. After retiring, he now serves as the recruiting director for the School of EMS. Jared’s interests are focused on his family and his backyard grill.

Butch Oberhoff
Director of Governmental Affairs and Business Development, Acadian Ambulance

Butch Oberhoff grew up in Baton Rouge, while spending summers and holidays in his father’s hometown of Rosenberg, Texas.  He started as an EMT in 1988 while attending Louisiana State University and worked as a paramedic at Acadian Ambulance before moving into various leadership and governmental relations roles.

Though most of his career has been with Acadian, where he now serves as the Director of Governmental Affairs and Business Development, Butch also spent time as AMR’s governmental relations manager in Mississippi.

Butch now resides in San Antonio when he is not at the State Capitol.  He is married to Cynthia, a neonatal nurse, and has two children.  This year, he was made a permanent member and bass player of the House of Rock and Roll band, which is headed by Chairman Richard Raymond, and includes Chairman Joe Pickett, Representative Bobby Guerra and Representative Pancho Nevarez.  The group performs without charge at many legislative events.

Taylor Ratcliff, MD
EMS Medical Director, Cities of Belton, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Llano

Dr. Ratcliff started his career in EMS with EMT school in 1995.  He subsequently completed his Paramedic training at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1999 and worked for Lubbock EMS from 1997 until 2009 and the Lubbock Fire Department from 2002 until 2005.  Ratcliff worked as a career Paramedic/Firefighter and ran the City of Lubbock’s medical first responder medical program until leaving to start medical school at Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine.  He completed Residency training at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, as part of the Texas A&M Health Science Center.  He is presently board certified in Emergency Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

He currently works as an academic faculty physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine in Temple.  Dr. Ratcliff is the division director of Prehospital Medicine and is the EMS Medical Director for the cities of Belton, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Llano as well as Temple College.  He is the assistant medical director for the Temple based EMS helicopter, PHI Med 1-5.  In addition, he provides medical direction for many Bell County first responder organizations, the Bell County Communications center and is the physician medical director for EMTF team 7 in the Central Texas region.  Dr. Ratcliff serves on the Texas Governor’s Emergency and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) education committee and is a site visitor for CoAEMSP.

In addition to spending time with his wonderful family, he volunteers as a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Morgan’s Point Resort Fire Department.  Dr. Ratcliff’s passion continues to be the support of our brave public safety professionals in Texas and furthering the mission of EMS throughout our State.  He can be reached at bellcomd3@gmail.com.

Ernesto Rodriguez
EMS Chief, Austin-Travis County EMS

Ernesto Rodriguez has over 36 years of experience in emergency medical services including fire service, statewide, private sector, and municipal third service models. Ernesto currently serves as Chief of EMS at Austin-Travis County EMS in Austin Texas. Chief Rodriguez holds a bachelor degree from West Texas A&M University and a Masters degree from Liberty University.

Chief Rodriguez is one of six Improvement Advisors in the nation specializing Improvement Science in emergency medical services through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.  He is a founding member of the Texas EMS Alliance (TEMSA) and serves on TEMSA’s board.

Chief Rodriguez is serving as a member of the EMS Agenda 2050 project.  As one of ten members of the Agenda 2050 Technical Expert Panel, Chief Rodriguez is playing a pivotal role along with experts from across the nation in capturing the future vision of the EMS industry.

Howard Rogers
SmartDrive Systems

Joseph W. Schmider
Texas EMS Director, Office of EMS/Trauma System Coordination

Joseph W. Schmider is currently the Texas Department of State Health Services and formally the Pennsylvania’s Emergency Medical Services Director since January 8, 2005.  Joe served as Acting Director for 6 months, and previously as Program Manager within the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services for 2 years within the PA Department of Health.

Joe was the Regional EMS Director for Bucks County for 10 years before accepting a position with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.  Joe has served emergency services as a Firefighter with the Warminster Fire Department and a Firefighter/EMT with Dublin Fire Company and Ambulance since 1979.  Joe served as Squad Chief for Dublin EMS for 10 years, and trained/certified as a Firefighter, EMT, EMT-Instructor, a HazMat Technician, Rescue Technician, and formerly EMA Director for Bedminster Township.

Jonathan Sell
Chief, Booker EMS

Jonathan Sell has served in various roles including student, EMT, Paramedic, Volunteer, Career, Executive, and Educator in EMS since 2004. Sell owns Innovative Solutions Management, a company focused on providing management and staffing solutions for rural EMS services with an exceptional level of clinical and operational expertise. Sell has served as the Chief of Booker EMS since 2010, and currently serves as a board member of the Texas EMS Alliance. Sell is a Nationally Registered Paramedic with Flight, Critical Care, and Tactical board certifications. Sell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/Accounting and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Biology.

Matt Sorrentino
Healthcare Finance Solutions, Public Consulting Group

Mr. Sorrentino, a Manager and Center of Excellence (COE) lead for our Healthcare Financing Solutions division, is a management consultant with 15 plus years of extensive Medicaid and healthcare experience. Mr. Sorrentino specializes in the design, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare operations and payment systems. Specific to healthcare operations, Mr. Sorrentino has national oversight over PCG’s claims processing services and solutions, data intermediary services, and revenue cycle management services. He has assisted Medicaid agencies, private payers, and providers in implementing efficient and cost effective outsourcing solutions to process claims and supporting functions, streamlined the collection of important healthcare data to empower policymakers to make informed decisions on healthcare programs and resources, and optimized funding streams to providers, with a specific focus on public providers critical to the healthcare safety net. In terms of payment and reimbursement systems, Mr. Sorrentino has led rate setting, provider assessment, and other critical financial management efforts for public payers for institutional and community-based services. He has helped Medicaid agencies and other publicly-funded programs move from cost-based reimbursement programs to acuity-based reimbursement methodologies, and now to value-based reimbursement strategies. In addition, Mr. Sorrentino has advocated for safety net public providers that provide a disproportionate share of healthcare services to the Medicaid and uninsured patient populations. He has helped secure significant and new Medicaid funding streams to public hospitals, community-based providers, first responders, and school districts by pioneering innovative supplemental payment strategies and programs. Mr. Sorrentino has navigated Medicaid agencies and other healthcare programs through all facets of these strategies from program design, to facilitating stakeholder engagement and feedback, to negotiating federal approval, and ultimately program implementation.

Dudley Wait
Southwest Texas RAC

Dudley Wait works for the Southwest Texas RAC in San Antonio. Before this role, he was employed by the City of Schertz since June 2001.  Until April 2015, he served as the EMS Director for Schertz EMS when he was promoted to his current position as the Executive Director of Public Safety.  He has been in the EMS industry since 1985 when he joined the volunteer ambulance service at Texas A&M University.  Dudley obtained his bachelor degree in Management in 1992 from Texas A&M and during his time there he also became certified first as an EMT and then as a Paramedic.

Dudley has worked in all types of EMS systems to include volunteer and paid, private and public, city and county, fire based and third service.

After graduating from Texas A&M, Dudley took a position as a paramedic with Sunstar Paramedics in Pinellas County Florida.  In his ten year career in Florida, he advanced through a number of positions including field supervisor, Communications Center Manager and finally Operations Manager where he was responsible for the day to day operations of Sunstar, a large county-wide EMS system that answers over 120,000 requests for service annually.

Since arriving in Schertz in 2001, Dudley has overseen the beginning of a new, fully paid municipal ambulance provider that left its volunteer days behind it a few months before his arrival.  In addition, Schertz is situated in an area that has experienced amazing growth and expansion over the last decade.  Our population has increased by over 70% and our call volume has grown by 150% and continues to increase approximately 12% a year.  We have worked to not only keep up with this rapid increase in demand but to also position ourselves in front of it to appropriately plan for our future.

Dudley is also a big believer in regional collaboration and in actively working to improve the ambulance industry.  Dudley currently sits as the Chair of the Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council’s EMS Subcommittee, is the Treasurer for our Regional Advisory Council (STRAC) and chairs our regions Cardiac Care Committee where doctors, nurses and EMS personnel have built a regional cardiac care system that is unrivaled in the State.

Dudley met his wife Cindy in Florida and brought her back to Texas with him.  They currently have two sons, Zayden and Zachary, who were adopted over the last three years. They also have three “other children” – Sadie, Diesel and Pepper – their English Bulldogs.

Brian Werfel
Werfel & Werfel, PLLC

Brian S. Werfel, Esq. is a partner in Werfel & Werfel, PLLC, a New York based law firm specializing in Medicare issues related to the ambulance industry. Brian is a Medicare Consultant to the American Ambulance Association, and has authored numerous articles on Medicare reimbursement, most recently on issues such as the beneficiary signature requirement, repeat admissions and interrupted stays. He is a frequent lecturer on issues of ambulance coverage and reimbursement. Brian is co-author of the AAA’s Medicare Reference Manual for Ambulance, as well as the author of the AAA’s HIPAA Reference Manual. Brian is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia School of Law. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, he specialized in mergers & acquisitions and commercial rel estate at a prominent New York law firm. Werfel & Werfel, PLLC was founded by David M. Werfel, who has been the Medicare Consultant to the American Ambulance Association for over 20 years.

Rebecca Williamson
American Ambulance Association

Rebecca began her career in 1986 as an EMT-Basic, and then became a Paramedic and Registered Nurse. She worked for a non-profit governmental agency for 26 years starting as a Paramedic and also working as a Supervisor, QA Officer, and EMD before being promoted to the position of Chief Compliance Officer, a position she held for 16 years as well as the HIPAA Privacy Officer for 18 years. In 2017 Rebecca joined a private ambulance provider, Pafford Medical Services, as the Chief Compliance Officer and HIPAA Privacy Officer and is responsible for development, leadership, implementation, and administration of all compliance and HIPAA policies and procedures. Rebecca’s expertise is in documentation, compliance, and privacy issues

Currently, Rebecca is the Chair of the American Ambulance Association’s Medicare Regulatory Committee and also the Chair of the American Ambulance Association Ethics Committee. Rebecca is a founding member, Past President, and current board member of the Oklahoma Ambulance Association. She is the author, co-author, and editor of several EMS technical manuals on Documentation, Medicare, HIPAA, and ICD-10 education.

Additionally, Rebecca is the Director of Nurses for the Muskogee County Child Advocacy Center overseeing the Sexual Assault Program, specializing in pediatrics and child abuse forensics.

Matt Zavadsky
Director of Public Affiars, Medstar Mobile Healthcare

Matt Zavadsky is the Director of Public Affairs for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth.  He has helped guide the implementation of several innovative programs with health care partners that have transformed MedStar fully as a mobile integrated health care provider, including high utilizer, CHF readmission reduction, observational admission reduction, hospice revocation avoidance, 9-1-1 nurse triage programs and a partnership with a home health agency.

Zavadsky also chairs the NAEMT Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP) Committee and is the co-author of the book “Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Approach to Implementation” published by Jones & Bartlett Publishing.  He has a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administrator, with a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Management.