New VPMA brings wealth of experience

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Richard Jacobs, MD, MBA, a clinician with more than 25 years of experience in clinical practice, physician practice management and consulting for both acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities, has been chosen as the hospital’s new Vice President of Medical Affairs, effective November 1.

Dr. Jacobs previously served as a Vice President of Medical Affairs at hospitals in California and Florida and as a physician liaison in Aspen, Colorado, after more than a decade of quality assurance work and physician practice management and development in Florida. He is focused on best practices for care management and has been successful at improving patient satisfaction, reducing costs and improving accuracy of coding to better reflect severity and complexity of cases. His leadership style embraces change and mobilizes commitment of all team members to create a more stable, effective environment.

“I am passionate about patient safety and quality,” says Dr. Jacobs. “The people I have met at Parma Community General Hospital have a great sense of values and make it a desirable place to work. I look forward to utilizing my experience to help Parma Hospital remain independent and successful.”

A native of Chicago, Dr. Jacobs received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine after earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Case Western Reserve University. An internist and gerontologist, Dr. Jacobs also possesses an MBA from the University of Miami. He has been a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2003.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Jacobs has relocated to greater Cleveland to bring his varied and significant clinical and administrative experience to Parma Hospital in a full-time VPMA role,” said Terrence G. Deis, president & CEO. “We are also appreciative of the vital role Dr. Richard Ungvarsky played over the past 18 months, stepping into this position on an interim basis after the passing of Donn Wolfson, MD. He has had very big shoes to fill and has represented Administration well.”

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