ABOUT Names Veteran Health System Operations and Innovation Leader as New CEO

Former Allina Health Chief Integration Officer Jonathan Shoemaker to replace Angie Franks, who served the company for 10 years and will continue as advisor to board of directors

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ABOUT Healthcare^® (ABOUT), a leading provider of solutions for orchestrating patient access across the care continuum, announced today that veteran health system operations and information systems senior executive Jonathan Shoemaker will become its new CEO beginning September 25. Shoemaker replaces Angie Franks, who served ABOUT for nearly 10 years and will continue as a senior advisor to the company's board of directors.

Shoemaker holds more than 25 years of healthcare operations and information systems experience, including 18 years with Allina Health, a 12-hospital integrated health system with more than 28,500 employees and 8,300 providers throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Most recently, Shoemaker was senior vice president of operations and chief integration officer as well as a member of the senior executive team leading Allina Health's Performance Transformation Office that managed more than $300 million in operational and care delivery process improvement initiatives.

"Jonathan's health system leadership over innovation and network organizational performance combined with decades of operational and administrative experience make him the ideal leader to guide ABOUT through this transformational time in healthcare," said Darin Vercillo, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of ABOUT. "As a health system veteran, Jonathan fully grasps the challenges that our customers and the entire industry face. More importantly, he comprehends firsthand how they can overcome these obstacles, unify their systems, improve network integrity, and orchestrate an optimal patient journey."

Before his most recent role at Allina, Shoemaker spent six years as Allina Health's chief information officer and chief improvement officer. In this role, Shoemaker developed and drove organizational transformation improvement projects and led major technology systems implementations and integrations. These initiatives supported high-quality care delivery and seamless care orchestration across the health system's network of hospitals and more than 160 primary care and specialty clinics and other facilities, as well as virtual care delivered within patients' homes.

"Joining ABOUT represented an opportunity to improve many elements of healthcare delivery I am most passionate about – business processes, mission, and ultimately, ensuring people receive the right care as soon as possible," said Shoemaker. "The opportunity to leverage my skills and experience to drive organizational growth and using technology to transform operations at not just one health system but many healthcare institutions around the country is what truly excites me about this leadership role. I look forward to sharing our team's expertise and solutions to drive improved patient outcomes and experience while helping health systems achieve stronger financial performance."

Franks positioned ABOUT for future
Franks transformed and positioned ABOUT for the future in her six-year tenure as CEO and four years prior on the board of directors. These achievements include a corporate rebrand, two strategic acquisitions, a majority equity investment, and numerous expansions and improvements to the ABOUT technology and services platform as well as record-breaking customer growth while fostering a people-first company culture.  

Notably, during Franks' tenure, ABOUT supported health systems across the U.S. during the early outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic in helping maximize their capacity while enabling critically ill patients to receive needed care, whether it was in a hospital across town or across the state. ABOUT's collaboration in creating the Arizona Surge Line was held up as a national example – with articles published in JAMA Health Forum, NEJM Catalyst, and Frontiers in Public Health – demonstrating how hospitals and health systems can put aside competitive barriers during public health emergencies to ensure patients receive critical care as soon as possible.

"We thank Angie for a decade of achievement, service and dedication, as well as her personal support in selecting the next leader for ABOUT," said Bob Zdon, chief operating officer of ABOUT. "Jonathan is the ideal leader to guide the next phase in our evolution. With his knowledge and expertise combined with our market position, Jonathan has a rock-solid foundation to build on as healthcare continues to rapidly evolve in exciting new ways to help more patients receive the highest-quality care sooner."

About ABOUT Healthcare^®
ABOUT offers a flexible, purpose-built solution that empowers hospitals and health systems to operate as one connected network of care. ABOUT enables easy access for clinicians to move patients into and out of the acute care setting — getting them to the next, best care setting faster and easier. Complemented by clinical experts and best practices, ABOUT provides health systems with the necessary controls and insights to grow with resilience, drive clinician effectiveness, and improve patient outcomes. For more information, visit www.abouthealthcare.com.

Media Contact:
Yancey Casey
Amendola Communications for ABOUT
(678) 895-9401
[email protected]

SOURCE ABOUT