SynerMed

MANAGEMENT Team

	James P. Mason President and Chief Executive Officer James Mason assumed the role of President and CEO of SynerMed in January 2002. With more than 15 years of broad health care experience, Mason is responsible for the management and strategic direction of the company. During his tenure, SynerMed has grown from one client and a few hundred members to more than 550,000 members through its customer base. Prior to SynerMed, Mason served as Vice President of Operations for Comprehensive Healthcare Management which became SynerMed after a successful turnaround and reorganization. Over the course of his career, Mason has had continued involvement with the development and implementation of a variety of Medicare and Medicaid managed care, health care reform, and physician advocacy initiatives. Most recently, Mason was appointed to the California Association of Physician Groups Board of Directors due to his relationships with key stakeholders in the California health care system (patients, providers, health plan executives and officials) and his experience with developing and implementing Medicare and Medicaid managed care programs. Mason received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands and a master’s of business administration (MBA) from Pepperdine University.
	Alicia C. Camacho, RN Vice President of Medical Services Alicia Camacho has more than 20 years of experience in managed health care and eight years of experience in the intensive care unit (ICU) and ambulatory care setting. As Vice President of Medical Services for SynerMed, Camacho oversees provider education, DHS/Health Plan audit preparation, the development and update of policies, and administers management activities to ensure compliance with health plans. Prior to joining SynerMed, Camacho was involved in managed health care through PractiCare, Inc. and then served as Director of Quality Management and Utilization Management at Crown City Medical Group/IPA. Camacho earned a Registered Nurse (RN) degree from St. Rita's Hospital School of Nursing in Manila, Philippines.
	Marilyn Diaz, RN, BSN, CPHQ Vice President of Health Services Marilyn Diaz has assumed the responsibility of Vice President of Health Services for SynerMed. In this role, she brings a wealth of experience that includes more than 17 years as a health care administrator in the managed health care industry. Prior to joining SynerMed, Diaz spent more than 15 years with Employee Health Systems (EHS) as Director of Utilization and Quality Management, where she was instrumental in developing the organization’s utilization and quality management programs. During her tenure, she was operationally involved in regulatory and health plan compliance, authorization and claims management. She also supervised the credentialing of physicians and providers in the EHS network. Diaz received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Southern California in 1987 and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ).
	Dan Gomez Vice President of Inland Region With more than 25 years of experience in HMO/managed care administration and operations, Dan Gomez brings a diverse level of knowledge and expertise to SynerMed. Since joining the team in 2001, Gomez has successfully developed a comprehensive, full-service Provider Services and Customer Relations department. Gomez also works within the Provider Credentialing Department and directs multiple field marketing and network development staff. Gomez’s past experience includes Claims Auditor and Provider Services Liaison for Pacific Physician Services. Gomez also worked as Provider Services Manager at Inland Empire Health Plan, Director of Medi-Cal programs at Tower Health, and Program Manager for L.A. Care Health Plan.
	Paul Hernandez Vice President of San Diego Region With more than 10 years of health care experience, Paul Hernandez joined SynerMed in 2003. As Vice President of the San Diego Region, Hernandez is responsible for health plan and provider contracting, network development, financial management and analysis, and marketing. Before SynerMed, he worked as IPA Manager for UCSD Healthcare. He also served as Contracts Manager for the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Medical Center, and early in his career, as Provider Services Representative for the Cambria Group, where his responsibilities included provider contracting and communication, network development, and member education. Hernandez graduated with honors from California State University, San Bernardino with a bachelor’s degree in health services administration.
	Darren McLachlan Vice President of Finance and Information Technology Darren McLachlan joined the SynerMed team in 1997. As Vice President of Finance and Information Technology, McLachlan oversees the Accounting and Information Systems departments and has implemented new financial and information systems in order to improve efficiency and management capabilities for SynerMed’s customers. Early in his career, McLachlan spent several years with Merrill Lynch. Here, he worked on developing an administrative tracking program while assisting in operational duties. After that, McLachlan worked at a food distributor as an accounting analyst. McLachlan graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in finance.
	Sheryl Reese Director of Claims Sheryl Reese joined the SynerMed team in April 2005 with more than 18 years of experience in managed care and medical billing. She was promoted to Director of Claims in October 2006. Prior to coming to SynerMed, Sheryl was the Claims Supervisor for Chino Medical Group, where she was responsible for all functions of the claims department and staff. Other experience includes Quality Management Team Leader and Claims Examiner Trainer for MedPartners/PPSI. She was also employed with Loma Linda University Medical Center as a unit secretary and LLUMC Faculty Medical Group as a biller. She graduated from Skadron College of Business in San Bernardino, Calif. and resides in Redlands, Calif.
	Peter Winston Executive Vice President Peter Winston brings more than 24 years of health care management experience to his role as Executive Vice President. Winston joined SynerMed as executive director in 2006, and has been an administrator of EHS Medical Group since 1994. Winston has served or serves on the boards of several professional organizations, including Health Care Executives of Southern California (HCE), California Medical Group Management Association (C-MGMA), and is past president of the Los Angeles Medical Group Management Association (LA-MGMA). Winston is also the founding chairperson for the California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) Medi-Cal Managed Care Committee. Winston earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a master’s degree in health administration from Duke University.
	Gina Magana-Zwick Vice President of Provider Services Gina Magana-Zwick re- joined the SynerMed team in 2005. As Vice President of Provider Services, her responsibilities include provider development, physician recruitment, health plan co-marketing, health plan relationships and membership growth and retention. Magana-Zwick is an accomplished professional with more than 18 years of experience in health care management. Her career commenced as a hands-on medical assistant and has developed into a successful tenure in IPA/medical group utilization, medical management and IPA and health plan provider services. Over the past five years, Magana-Zwick has excelled in IPA and physician business development strategies and was primarily responsible for growing two IPAs by more than 35,000 members.