Pan American Risk Management Associates, LLC

🔹 J.R. Murray, Founder

J.R. Murray is CEO of Pan American Risk Management, LLC (PARMA), a healthcare industry advisory and consulting firm. Mr. Murray blends his health policy, coverage, reimbursement and coding knowledge and experience with his operational and business transformation background.

Mr. Murray served as an advisor to the COO of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). He was instrumental in designing the foundation for the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act. Mr. Murray has worked with Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) as a strategic advisor on Medicare Contractor Reform. He has successfully developed and guided the implementation of reimbursement strategies for medical device, pharmaceutical, and service companies. He has successfully resolved reimbursement challenges that manufactures have faced with Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs).

Mr. Murray led the team that successfully turn around a Medicare Advantage Plan that had previously been suspended from operation. He has enabled the resolution of regulatory compliance challenges for numerous providers including, DME companies, physician practice groups, home health & hospice agencies as well as Medicare Advantage Plans. Additionally, Mr. Murray led a team that developed and implemented a training program for a Medicare Advantage Plan call center.

Mr. Murray holds a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance & Marketing from The Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. He is an avid sailor and a fitness enthusiast.

🔹 Ruben Jose King-Shaw, Jr., Senior Advisor

Mr. King-Shaw is a Founding Principal of PARMA. Mr. King-Shaw has extensive expertise in health policy, economics and finance. Mr. King-Shaw served in the George W. Bush Administration from 2001 to 2003 where he led many of President Bush's and HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson’s health care initiatives as Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In that capacity, he directed the day-to-day operations of the $500 billion agency. Mr. King-Shaw was also Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury where he led the Administration’s Health Coverage Tax Credit initiatives. Mr. King-Shaw was a major spokesperson for the Administration on the topics of health care disparities, prescription drug benefits, Medicare and Medicaid reform, rural health and the uninsured in America.

Prior to joining the George W. Bush Administration, Mr. King-Shaw was the Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). The $11 billion dollar Agency was responsible for Florida’s Medicaid, Health Quality Assurance, facility regulation, and managed care regulation activities. He was appointed to head the Agency by Governor Jeb Bush on December 30, 1998.

Before entering public service, Mr. King-Shaw had fifteen years of experience in health care management, having served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Miami-based Neighborhood Health Partnership, an insurance company sponsored by local providers and John Alden/Fortis Inc. Mr. King-Shaw had previously been the Executive Director of the JMH Health Plan, an integrated delivery system operated by a partnership of the Public Health Trust of Dade County and the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Mr. King-Shaw has enjoyed a pivotal role with PARMA. Mr. King-Shaw ‘s advice has been sought after by state healthcare leaders; government and business leaders in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East; private equity firms, Medicare contractors, healthcare technology companies and pharmaceutical manufactures. Mr. King-Shaw has advised both state legislatures and pharmaceutical companies on addressing healthcare disparities.

In addition to PARMA Mr. King-Shaw’s serves on the Board of Directors of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) of Tampa, FL; Athenahealth, Inc. of Watertown, MA where he is Lead Director; Exact Cost of Hallandale Beach, FL where he is Vice Chairman; MedDirect Latino, Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fl where he is Chairman; and Jentryx, Inc. of Santa Barbara, CA. In addition, Mr. King-Shaw is a trustee of The University of Massachusetts and a member of the Cornell University Council. He also sits on the Scripps Florida Board of Directors and New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century.

Mr. King-Shaw is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations with a specialty in Labor Economics and currently serves on the school's advisory council. He also holds a Master of Health Services Administration and a Master of International Business from the Chapman Graduate School of Business in Miami and the Instituto de Empresas/Center for International Studies in Madrid, Spain.

🔹 Julie Brown-Georgi, MS, CAHIMS, Senior Advisor

Ms. Brown-Georgi is an is an experienced healthcare executive and strategist with a focus on health IT policy and reimbursement. Her expertise spans hospital services, physician payment, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, health IT, RWD/RWE, and startup leadership. She brings her consulting, trade association, and government experience working with patients, providers, vendors, manufacturers, government officials, and other key stakeholders to her work for a holistic perspective on key issues explored.

Julie led the growth of a Series A healthcare technology startup, the implementation of federal government contracts, the establishment of new consulting verticals, as well as the creation and execution of new cross-cutting policy departments within trade associations. Julie also has extensive government and legislative experience in federal and state affairs, including working for the New York State Assembly, the Michigan House of Representatives, and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Julie received her Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics from Northwestern University in addition to her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science – Prelaw at Michigan State University and her certificate in Healthcare Information Technology from the University of Connecticut. She is also a Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) and an active Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) member, an active Health Level 7 member, and a WEDI Board Member.

🔹 Dr. Harry Feliciano, Senior Advisor

Dr. Feliciano served for 25 years as a Medicare Contractor Medical Director (CMD) for Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (A/B MAC), ultimately retiring as Senior Medical Director.

During his tenure with Palmetto GBA, he developed deep expertise in both the coverage and reimbursement of medical devices and related services. Throughout his career, he has evaluated coverage and payment policies for emerging medical technologies, from diagnostic devices to therapeutic innovations. He is a specialist in internal medicine, geriatrics, preventive medicine and public health and is experienced in the application of epidemiology, systems engineering and data analytics to continuously improve clinical, operational, and financial outcomes.

He now serves as Principal and Medical Director of Decision Assist LLC, where he guides medical device companies, healthcare organizations, and investors through the complex landscape of Medicare coverage and reimbursement strategy. Dr. Feliciano is passionate about ensuring that innovative, evidence-based medical technologies are accessible to the Medicare beneficiary population.

🔹 Dr. Renard Murray, Senior Advisor

Dr. Renard Murray, prior to his retirement in 2018, had field oversight of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) clinical quality and survey and certification missions across the United States and its territories.

While located in Atlanta, GA, he oversaw clinical standards and quality for facilities ranging from the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean to the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific. He led a staff of over 350 federal employees and more than 8,000 state employees across the U.S. and its territories.

Murray was also led the CMS Emergency Preparedness and Response Operations functions for CMS Headquarters and all Regional Office locations. His office coordinated and responded to many natural and man-made disasters across the U.S. and its territories.

Prior to serving as Consortium Administrator, Murray served as the Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - Atlanta and Dallas Regional Offices. In that position, Murray was responsible for External Affairs and served as the CMS spokesman for the 13 states in the two regions. The states in the Atlanta region, the largest CMS region in the nation, are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Five states, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas make up the Dallas region that was also under Murray’s watch. Combined, these two regions contained the largest number of Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S. Also while in this role, he alternatively served as Special Assistant to the CMS Chief Operating Officer (COO) in Baltimore, where he operated across all aspects of CMS to support the COO and Deputy COO.

In addition, through the Atlanta Regional Office, Murray served as the Chair for the Atlanta Federal Executive Board which supported more than 50,000 Federal employees and worked with State, Local and Community organizations throughout metro Atlanta.

Murray also temporarily served as the Acting Regional Administrator for the Boston and New York Regional Office while temporarily residing in Boston, MA. Murray also served two terms as Chair for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that was led from the White House in Washington D.C.

Murray previously served as the Associate Regional Administrator responsible for the Regional Office’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) policy branches and the region’s Financial Management Operations. He provided leadership for the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs for the eight states listed above located in the Atlanta Region. Murray came to the CMS Atlanta Regional Office from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 1999. At SSA, Murray held the positions of Claims Representative, Operations Supervisor and District Manager. A native of Ama, La., Renard L. Murray holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Xavier University in New Orleans, La., a Master of Arts degree in Management from the University of Phoenix in Kenner, La. and a Doctorate in Management from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Ariz.

🔹 Curtis Lord, Senior Advisor

Curtis Lord has worked in various aspects of Medicare Program administration for over 50 years. After graduating from Florida State University in 1974, where he received a BS degree in Mathematics, he went to work in the Regional Office of the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Atlanta, Georgia. (Medicare administration was overseen then at a federal level by the Bureau of Health Insurance (BHI) within SSA). Mr. Lord worked for BHI, which later became part of the Health Care Financing Administration, for nine years. At the end of his tenure in the Regional Office Mr. Lord was the Chief for the Medicare Coverage and Reimbursement Policy section.

In 1983 Mr. Lord moved to Jacksonville Florida to join the Medicare component of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF). He held various executive level positions during his 29 years there. During the last 13 years he was the CEO of the company's Medicare subsidiary, Diversified Service Options (DSO). DSO has had a significant footprint in Medicare administration through First Coast Service Options, Novitas Solutions, C2C Innovative Solutions and TriCenturion. The two former companies continue to serve as Medicare Administrative Contractors and pay out over 30% of the nation's traditional Medicare benefits. During his time at BCBSF Mr. Lord attended the prestigious Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

Since retiring in December 2011, Mr. Lord has served on Medicare affiliated boards and provided consulting services to law firms and health care companies with significant Medicare enrollment or reimbursement issues. Most notably he was a retained consultant for Global Medical Response for 13 years. These consulting services continue today and rely heavily on the relationships that Mr. Lord built and has retained throughout the Medicare landscape.

Mr. Lord lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife of 51 years. He has two daughters and three grandchildren who keep him young.