Bryan Burns is an expert physician with a demonstrated history of improving disease management, quality of patient care, and physician relations in the hospital and healthcare industry.

Board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Burns joined Esse Health as a physician in 2018. In that role, he is responsible for providing exceptional health care while collaborating to advance Surround Care’s mission to transform healthcare.

Prior to Esse Health, Dr. Burns completed his Internal Medicine Residency at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, and then practiced for nine years at St. Anthony’s Medical Center, where he also served on the physician organization board of directors. He received his doctorate in osteopathic medicine from the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and earned a master’s degree in healthcare quality and safety management from   Jefferson University’s School of Population Health. He also holds a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dr. Burns has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality and Assurance (NCQA) and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for high-quality care to patients with heart disease and/or stroke. He serves on the United Healthcare’s Physician Advisory Board and has served as a physician advisor to the St. Louis Business Health Coalition.

Combs brings broad financial expertise and more than 30 years of senior leadership experience in health care strategy, finance and operations. Throughout his career, he has led a number of successful partnerships, acquisitions, divestitures and bond offerings.

Combs became Chief Financial Officer of SSM Health in November 2019. He previously worked at Navvis, SSM Health’s population health partner, where he was the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. Prior to joining Navvis, Combs served in Chief Financial Officer roles at Mercy and KentuckyOne Health.

Combs holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and is a certified public accountant.

Courtney is a healthcare expert with a distinct ability to balance market-focused healthcare strategy with market-leading operational performance. As Navvis’ Chief Operating Officer she ensures that physician-led and patient-centric care is optimized across all markets, for all client partners, physicians, and stakeholders.

In her role Courtney is the executive leader for Navvis operations engaging with and supporting physicians, practices, cross-continuum facilities, and commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid patient populations.

Teams under her leadership have responsibility for multiple aspects of the Navvis solution, from initial strategy development, to implementation, to ongoing operational management. This includes Navvis Market Presidents, Practice Optimization Program team, IT team, Data Science & Analytics team, and Solution Deployment team.

In addition to leading Navvis’ operations, Courtney and her team work closely to co-manage operational centers with our client partners. This includes centralized and in-market multi-disciplinary care management teams responsible for patient care across primary, acute, post-acute and home settings.

Courtney has a wealth of expertise in strategy, operations, primary care delivery, and market partnerships. She previously served as Navvis’ Market President for the Florida market, and was Chief Client Services Officer, a function that is part of her role as COO.

Prior to joining Navvis, Courtney was a Population Health Manager for a national population health company, where she guided physicians and health systems in the transition towards value-based payments. In this role, she focused on coordinating care management for high-risk patients, improving performance to grow the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), identifying process improvement opportunities, and sharing data analysis with stakeholders.

Courtney also worked for Northeast Georgia Health System, a top ranked (state and national) hospital. Courtney served as Practice Administrator for a primary care office within the system’s established medical group. She successfully implemented a PCMH model within her practice, resulting in Level 3 accreditation with NCQA. She also worked in the emergency department where she was a patient advocate, working closely with both physicians and patients during traumatic events, while continuously improving patient satisfaction.

Courtney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Baker College, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Accounting from Lanier Technical College.

R. Erick Hawkins is the Chief Administrative Officer for Orlando Health. In this role, Hawkins leads the organization’s strategic planning, business development, asset strategy and innovation efforts. Hawkins is also responsible for the Orlando Health Foundation and External Affairs & Government Relations.

Hawkins previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of heart and vascular services for the University of North Carolina REX Healthcare in Raleigh. In that position, he was the executive responsible for the organization’s strategic innovations, which included the development of REX Health Ventures, a corporate venture capital fund.

Other leadership positions have included President of the Board of Directors for Hospice of Wake County, member of the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Ball, and member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Triangle Light the Night Walk’s Executive Leadership Council.

Hawkins earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Laura S. Kaiser leads SSM Health, a $10.5 billion Catholic, not-for-profit, integrated health system serving communities across the Midwest. Headquartered in St. Louis, SSM Health includes hospitals, physician offices, outpatient and virtual care services, senior care facilities, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company and an accountable care organization. The more than 40,000 team members and 13,900 providers at SSM Health are committed to delivering exceptional health care services and revealing God’s healing presence to everyone they serve.

Ms. Kaiser joined SSM Health in May 2017, bringing decades of experience in health care strategy, value-based care, improving clinical quality, fueling innovation, driving performance and growth, creating partnerships and leading change while fostering a healthy and inclusive culture.

Ms. Kaiser previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also served at Ascension Health in a number of senior leadership roles including Regional Executive for the Gulf Coast/Florida region and President/Chief Executive Officer at Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, Florida.

Ms. Kaiser serves on several boards including the American Hospital Association, Catholic Health Association, Greater St. Louis Inc., Merit Medical, Navitus Health Solutions and the Scottsdale Institute.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri, and Master of Business Administration and Master of Healthcare Administration degrees from Saint Louis University. Ms. Kaiser is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine for the past six years.

John Rice is a renowned physician and healthcare executive whose expertise helps deliver high-quality, value-based care to the people and communities that Esse Health serves.

As a founding member of Esse Health in 1995, Dr. Rice has been an integral force within the physician organization since its inception. Today, Dr. Rice serves as a physician as well as Executive Vice President and Internal Medicine Department Chair at Esse Health.

Prior to Esse Health, Dr. Rice practiced as an internist at HealthKey. Board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Rice earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri Medical School. He also holds an MBA from Washington University and a B.A. in chemistry from St. Louis University.

As Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Smith is responsible for the direction and oversight of financial services across SSM Health’s four-state network, including long-term positioning, operational finance, financial and regulatory reporting, revenue cycle management, internal audit, financial planning, and operating and capital budgeting.

Mr. Smith became Chief Financial Officer of SSM Health in November 2023. An experienced finance leader with a strong track record of operational excellence and strategic transformation, he most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Luminis Health in Annapolis, Maryland. Prior to joining Luminis, he served in Chief Financial Officer roles at Lehigh Valley Health Network and Universal Health Services, Inc., and as Director of Finance for the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Mr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from Drexel University. He completed post-baccalaureate studies in accounting and economics at the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree specializing in finance and real estate through the Harvard University Extension School.

David Strong became president and CEO of Orlando Health on April 9, 2015. Orlando Health is one of Florida’s most comprehensive private, not-for-profit healthcare organizations with $6.8 billion of assets under management. Since 1918, Orlando Health has been a leader in Florida, growing from a single hospital into an award-winning organization that attracts healthcare consumers from across the Southeastern United States. The system has 15 wholly owned hospitals and emergency departments, and more than 22,000 team members. Orlando Health’s 450 locations include rehabilitation services, cancer centers, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, and urgent care centers.

Orlando Health continues to receive some of the most prestigious national accolades in healthcare, including Best Hospital awards from U.S. News & World Report, Fortune and Modern Healthcare magazines; Top Hospital awards from the patient-safety advocates at The Leapfrog Group; and Beacon Awards for excellence at the patient bedside from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

The organization also owns Orlando Health Strategic Innovations, an innovation platform with a corporate venture fund that invests in promising early-stage healthcare companies from around the world.

Mr. Strong currently serves as a vice chair of the Christus Health Board in Dallas and on the Finance and Strategy, Audit, Executive and Governance Committees. He is vice chair of the Teaching Hospital Council of Florida and chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Central Florida Regional Board. In addition, Mr. Strong is on the boards of BioStable Science & Engineering, Inc. in Austin, Texas; the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida (also serving on the Executive Committee); the Florida Chamber of Commerce; and the Florida Hospital Association.

With more than 30 years of experience in a range of healthcare executive leadership roles, Tim Elliott is a guiding force at Surround Care and Navvis, leading the organization’s efforts to accelerate transformation to and performance in value-based care.

Elliott is a founding partner of Navvis and has led multiple facets of the organization over the past decade including serving as executive for our first market-based solution deployments. He is an expert in understanding the mechanics of healthcare payment constructs, strategic market-based partnership models, and the delicate balance and drivers of success in both volume and value-based models.

Elliott’s expertise across operations, client relationships, contracting and legal matters, and overall healthcare strategy has been foundational to Surround Care and Navvis’ growth. Prior to serving as the Surround Care CEO, he has served as President and General Counsel.

Elliott is a member of the American Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association. Prior to joining Surround Care, Elliott practiced law with the firms of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal (now known as Dentons) as well as with McDermott, Will & Emery. Elliott earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.

Courtney is a healthcare expert with a distinct ability to balance market-focused healthcare strategy with market-leading operational performance. As Navvis’ Chief Operating Officer she ensures that physician-led and patient-centric care is optimized across all markets, for all client partners, physicians, and stakeholders.

In her role Courtney is the executive leader for Navvis operations engaging with and supporting physicians, practices, cross-continuum facilities, and commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid patient populations.

Teams under her leadership have responsibility for multiple aspects of the Navvis solution, from initial strategy development, to implementation, to ongoing operational management. This includes Navvis Market Presidents, Practice Optimization Program team, IT team, Data Science & Analytics team, and Solution Deployment team.

In addition to leading Navvis’ operations, Courtney and her team work closely to co-manage operational centers with our client partners. This includes centralized and in-market multi-disciplinary care management teams responsible for patient care across primary, acute, post-acute and home settings.

Courtney has a wealth of expertise in strategy, operations, primary care delivery, and market partnerships. She previously served as Navvis’ Market President for the Florida market, and was Chief Client Services Officer, a function that is part of her role as COO.

Prior to joining Navvis, Courtney was a Population Health Manager for a national population health company, where she guided physicians and health systems in the transition towards value-based payments. In this role, she focused on coordinating care management for high-risk patients, improving performance to grow the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), identifying process improvement opportunities, and sharing data analysis with stakeholders.

Courtney also worked for Northeast Georgia Health System, a top ranked (state and national) hospital. Courtney served as Practice Administrator for a primary care office within the system’s established medical group. She successfully implemented a PCMH model within her practice, resulting in Level 3 accreditation with NCQA. She also worked in the emergency department where she was a patient advocate, working closely with both physicians and patients during traumatic events, while continuously improving patient satisfaction.

Courtney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Baker College, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Accounting from Lanier Technical College.

David Kearney is Chief Financial Officer of Surround Care. Prior to joining Surround Care, he was CEO of Esse Health, a St. Louis-based independent multispecialty physician group. Under Kearney’s leadership, Esse Health has become a nationally recognized physician organization with top-tier performance in value-based care. The organization has a 27-year track record of delivering exceptional quality to patients throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. Esse Health has more than 100 physicians, in 45 locations throughout the St. Louis region.

Kearney joined Esse Health in 2005. He was previously at Westar Corp, a defense contracting company that was purchased by QinetQ, an international defense contracting firm out of London. Prior to that, Kearney spent 16 years with Union Pacific Corporation and several of its subsidiaries, where he held various financial and accounting positions. He has experience in population health, strategic planning, financial analysis, information technology, risk management, accounting/finance, and treasury management.

Kearney is a CPA and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa. Recently Kearney earned his Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt certificate from Villanova University. He is a member of several professional and personal organizations including the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of CPAs, Medical Group Management Association, and SBR of St. Louis.

Lee is an expert in strategic performance, culture management, innovation, and creative collaboration. Lee helps healthcare executives unlock their potential for great leadership, and builds high-performing cultures that are driven by powerful leaders.

Lee serves as President of MEDI (Morgan Executive Development Institute), a Navvis company. Through healthcare executive coaching, MEDI focuses on the development of executive medical and physician leadership skills. The MEDI team is integral to the Navvis growth and diversification strategy, and works side-by-side with Navvis experts to help foster strong organizational alignment, change management, and physician leadership across our growth and diversification initiatives.

Lee believes in an “inside-out” philosophy of leadership development, focusing on awareness and strengths for personal growth first, then shifting that leadership outward. He frequently presents on leadership strategies at organizations such as Deloitte & Touche, PricewaterhouseCoopers, MasterCard, and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Over the past 20 years, Lee has worked with executives at industry-leading organizations across the United States, as well as internationally in Asia, Europe, and South America.

Courtney is a healthcare expert with a distinct ability to balance market-focused healthcare strategy with market-leading operational performance. As Navvis’ Chief Operating Officer she ensures that physician-led and patient-centric care is optimized across all markets, for all client partners, physicians, and stakeholders.

In her role Courtney is the executive leader for Navvis operations engaging with and supporting physicians, practices, cross-continuum facilities, and commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid patient populations.

Teams under her leadership have responsibility for multiple aspects of the Navvis solution, from initial strategy development, to implementation, to ongoing operational management. This includes Navvis Market Presidents, Practice Optimization Program team, IT team, Data Science & Analytics team, and Solution Deployment team.

In addition to leading Navvis’ operations, Courtney and her team work closely to co-manage operational centers with our client partners. This includes centralized and in-market multi-disciplinary care management teams responsible for patient care across primary, acute, post-acute and home settings.

Courtney has a wealth of expertise in strategy, operations, primary care delivery, and market partnerships. She previously served as Navvis’ Market President for the Florida market, and was Chief Client Services Officer, a function that is part of her role as COO.

Prior to joining Navvis, Courtney was a Population Health Manager for a national population health company, where she guided physicians and health systems in the transition towards value-based payments. In this role, she focused on coordinating care management for high-risk patients, improving performance to grow the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), identifying process improvement opportunities, and sharing data analysis with stakeholders.

Courtney also worked for Northeast Georgia Health System, a top ranked (state and national) hospital. Courtney served as Practice Administrator for a primary care office within the system’s established medical group. She successfully implemented a PCMH model within her practice, resulting in Level 3 accreditation with NCQA. She also worked in the emergency department where she was a patient advocate, working closely with both physicians and patients during traumatic events, while continuously improving patient satisfaction.

Courtney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Baker College, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Accounting from Lanier Technical College.

As President, Jim oversees all Esse Health medical group and business operations. Jim became President of Esse Health in January 2024. He has more than 25 years of health care industry experience with success and strengths in multi-specialty medical group practice operations, Medicare Advantage and value-based care, operational transformation, accountable care organizations and strategic direction.

Most recently Jim served as Vice President Physician Network for St. Luke’s Medical Group/St. Luke’s Hospital overseeing all outpatient clinic functions as well as hospital-based practices. Jim previously held leadership positions with St. Anthony’s Physician Organization as Chief Operating Officer and Community Health Systems as Vice President of Physician Practice Management. Prior to joining Community Health Systems, he led regional health operations for Carle Clinic in Illinois.

Jim earned both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Health Science Administration from Western Illinois University.