Former Leader at CMS and ONC Joins LodgeNet Healthcare as Senior Medical Advisor to Enhance Company's Patient Engagement Strategy

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- LodgeNet Healthcare, Inc., the leading provider of integrated patient engagement solutions, announced today that Sachin H. Jain, M.D., M.B.A., has joined the company as a senior medical advisor to help the company expand upon its innovative solutions that promote patient-centered, collaborative care.  Dr. Jain – who recently served as senior advisor to Donald M. Berwick, M.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and special assistant to David Blumenthal, M.D., the former head of Health and Human Services' (HHS') Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT – will help LodgeNet Healthcare develop:

• evidence-based patient engagement tools and services that anticipate regulatory and market trends,
• disease-specific processes, protocols and content for expensive-to-treat chronic conditions, and
• strategic partnerships and other industry relationships.  

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"Sachin brings a unique perspective that combines hands-on clinical, public policy and business experience, all directed at finding realistic approaches for empowering patients and improving the healthcare delivery system, which aligns perfectly with our goals," said Gary Kolbeck, President of LodgeNet Healthcare. "His proven track record as a healthcare consultant, strong advocacy for the use of information technology to improve the coordination and cost effectiveness of healthcare, and deep understanding of issues confronting both the public and private healthcare sectors make him a great addition to our team. He is the latest example of the impressive, talented and accomplished high performers that have joined LodgeNet Healthcare, affirming the momentum we have achieved in the industry."

Over the course of his career, Dr. Jain has held several high-profile public service and consulting positions. As senior advisor to Dr. Berwick at CMS he played a key role in launching the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, which tests innovative payment and care delivery models to improve healthcare. He also oversaw strategy on major CMS priorities such as advancing clinical registries, perinatal quality improvement and diabetes prevention. Prior to that, while Dr. Jain was special assistant at ONC he managed the senior management agenda of Dr. Blumenthal and directed a critical portfolio that included provider adoption of, and engagement with, policies pertaining to meaningful use, usability of electronic health records (EHRs), and leveraging HIT to address health disparities.  

A practicing physician, Dr. Jain has also been a member of the faculty of the Harvard Business School; a consultant to companies including Hearst-Argyle Media, CECity.com, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Carol Corp. and Outcome Sciences Inc.; a fellow at WellPoint Inc.; a summer associate at McKinsey & Company; founder of ImproveHealthCare.org; and a research assistant at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. He has written, co-authored, edited and contributed to three books and more than 40 articles in journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Health Affairs, Healthcare Financial Management, American Journal of Managed Care, and the Harvard Health Policy Review.

He was awarded a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, the Henry Asbury Christian Award and was named a John Kenneth Galbraith Scholar.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with the LodgeNet Healthcare team, and I am extremely impressed with the company's leadership, technology and commitment to deliver the most innovative, effective and affordable patient engagement solutions," Dr. Jain stated. "I believe it is essential to educate patients and encourage them to become active participants in their care, and that information to support that effort must be available whenever and wherever it's needed and convenient. LodgeNet Healthcare does exactly that, while also providing operational efficiencies for nursing and physicians, and I look forward to helping them continue to stay ahead of the curve to meet the needs of the evolving healthcare delivery system."

Dr. Jain holds an Artium Baccalaureatus degree in government from Harvard University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School.

About LodgeNet Healthcare

LodgeNet Healthcare, an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ: LNET), is the leading provider of patient engagement solutions designed to entertain, educate and empower patients. The company's interactive technology provides a cost-effective foundation to help hospitals comply with health reform mandates for patient-centered, collaborative care such as meaningful use, unnecessary readmissions, accountable care organizations (ACOs) and more. LodgeNet Healthcare offers eSUITETM, a shared decision-making tool that interacts with patients throughout the entire continuum of care using evidence-based engagement principles proven to improve clinical outcomes. Hospitals also benefit from LodgeNet Healthcare's professional services and consulting, patient-focused integrations and content solutions that are supported by the industry's only nationwide field service team. For more information, visit the LodgeNet Healthcare Website.

LodgeNet and the LodgeNet logo are registered trademarks of LodgeNet Interactive Corporation. eSUITE is a trademark of LodgeNet Healthcare, Inc.

SOURCE LodgeNet Healthcare