Metro Philadelphia Health Care Power Players 2023

Geoff Gross, founder and CEO of Medical Guardian, has been at the forefront of providing personal emergency response and comprehensive health care engagement solutions since 2005. With 325,000 active members nationwide, including over 50,000 members here in Pennsylvania, Geoff’s fervor for connected care, age tech, and the IoT industry drives Medical Guardian’s mission: empowering members to live a life without limits. 

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
Working in health care, I’m deeply passionate about empowering individuals to maintain their independence. It’s a personal mission for me, inspired by my grandmother Freda, who was our first member when I started the business 18 years ago. Every day, I’m reminded that we’re providing older adults the assurance they need without limiting their zest for life. It’s about being there for them, 24/7, ensuring they never have to compromise on living life their way. 

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
We’re confronting a pressing challenge: a rising population of individuals over 65 desiring to age at home, set against a shrinking pool of health and caregiving professionals. The need for innovative health care solutions to bridge this gap has never been more urgent. It’s about ensuring that this population not only receives necessary care but also maintains the quality of life they deserve. Addressing this demographic shift is crucial for the future of our health care system.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
In Philadelphia’s health care future, I anticipate a critical pairing of AI and human touch. This will boost care accessibility, improve outcomes, and reduce costs. Thanks to initiatives like Governor Shapiro’s Master Plan for Older Adults, we’ll see more aging adults leveraging technology to stay at home longer and proactively manage their health. 

Erin Guay has been with PHLP since 2004. She is an expert on Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, coverage, and services for older adults as well as for adults with disabilities. During her tenure at PHLP, Guay has helped thousands of individuals overcome barriers to getting health care coverage and services. Guay has a master’s degree in social administration and a certificate in health administration and policy from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College.

Senator Art Haywood represents Pennsylvania’s 4th District, spanning Montgomery and Philadelphia County. His efforts have included funding affordable housing, combating racism in state universities, expanding child care access, and leading the NW Peace coalition to combat gun violence. He’s an alum of Morehouse College, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Michigan Law School. Sen. Haywood is married to Julie Haywood and has three grown children.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
The smart and talented people in Philadelphia’s health care system are the best part because their expertise and innovation drive excellence in patient care. Collaborating with brilliant minds fosters a dynamic environment where cutting-edge research and advanced medical techniques are at the forefront. This collective intelligence leads to improved diagnosis, treatments, and most importantly better overall outcomes for patients.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
As the largest city in PA and a major urban center in the nation, expanding health care access is our city’s biggest challenge in health care. The complex and expensive insurance payer methods, the cost of prescriptions, and the lack of medical professionals with an affinity towards Black and brown patients must be addressed to expand health care access to underserved communities.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
The future of Philadelphia’s health care will be marked by transformative shifts, including a prominent role for outpatient hospital care, granting nurse practitioners full practice authority to enhance access to health care services, and embracing the growing plant-based diet wave to promote preventive health measures and well-being. These innovations will help make health care more accessible, efficient, and promote healthier lifestyles for the city’s residents.

Ann Marie Healy is the executive director of the Philadelphia Health Partnership where she advocates for and resources quality care and services to improve the health and well-being of people in Philadelphia, particularly those who have faced barriers to opportunity. Ann Marie has over 25 years of nonprofit management and development experience. She serves on several nonprofit boards and advisory committees. She holds a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from St. Joseph’s University. 

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
My career started in the environmental sector to expand access to healthy food in urban and suburban communities, advocate for walkable communities, and promote the stewardship of natural resources to improve the health of Pennsylvanians. I witnessed the positive effects a healthy environment had on an individual’s health and wellbeing. I brought this knowledge and experience to my current work guided by an expansive view of heath, supporting physical, mental, and social well-being of Philadelphians.  

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
We need to ensure equitable access to quality health care. That means greater investments in programs that connect families raising children to the full spectrum of services and supports they deserve to get a healthy start. State policymakers must find better ways to protect and expand access and connections to quality health insurance coverage. Insurance should also fully fund care and services that address the physical, mental, social, and economic drivers of wellbeing. 

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
Health care industry needs to expand its capacity to provide care and services to all citizens that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, and address systemic inequities at the root of health disparities. Transition toward equity-focused financing models that provide better health outcomes. Health care must prepare for future public health challenges, by investing in more effective ways to build trust, and find new and better ways to communicate and educate communities to decrease confusion and misinformation.

Dr. C. Frank Igwe is president of Moravia Health, which has served over 5,000 homecare consumers across Pennsylvania. He believes that health care is a human right, and lives by the words “do well by doing good.”  Igwe is committed to providing the highest quality of care possible to those who wish to maintain independence, dignity, and quality of life, by remaining in their homes.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
I like the daily problem-solving aspect of health care, and successfully navigating the company through troubled waters. This entails being able to read invisible ink. In other words, being able to read what is not easily seen, or peer around corners to see changes on the horizon. It takes the ability to pivot and adapt quickly to changing business landscapes, and making decisions that provide the most optimal benefit to Moravia Health, our customers, and employees.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
The biggest issue facing the healthcare system in Philadelphia is the dearth of available workers in the sector. Part of the problem is the low pay that health care workers receive, which is also a legislative problem, since the reimbursement rate approved by the State lags behind what these workers can make in other industries. The health care industry will continue to be under stress without a substantial increase in what we pay these essential workers.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
The future of health care in Philadelphia will be one where the demand for homecare services will continue to increase on an exponential scale. More consumers and legislative agents will see the benefits of providing safe, caring, and dignified care to people who wish to age-in-place,  in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes, with the caregiver of their choice. Likewise, reimbursement rates for caregivers will increase as the benefits of homecare become more recognized.

Larry Jameson, M.D., Ph.D., became executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine in 2011. Together, the two entities make up Penn Medicine, an $8 billion enterprise dedicated to excellence in the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and patient care. Before coming to Penn Medicine, Dr. Jameson was dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine and vice president of Medical Affairs at Northwestern University.

As chief lobbyist for Temple University Health System, Katherine Levins works with federal, state, and local officials to preserve access to high-quality healthcare in Southeast Pennsylvania and medical education for our nation’s next generation of healthcare professionals. She’s a leader in Temple Health’s efforts to bring accessible health services for women into our diverse neighborhoods and to build innovative partnerships that address housing and other social needs for seniors, families, and those with substance use disorders.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
Being a part of a mission-driven team that is deeply committed to providing the highest quality care and resources to some of Philadelphia’s most challenged neighborhoods.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
Providing equitable health care to all requires a commitment of providers, insurers, government, philanthropy, and community organizations. A great example is Project Home’s project to develop a “healing ecosystem” including Temple and other health systems to address the opioid epidemic for those experiencing homelessness. Patients cannot truly heal without a home, food, and resources they need to live a healthy, fulfilling life.

Natalie Levkovich has held the position of CEO of the Health Federation of Philadelphia since 1987, and served as director of program development for three years prior to that. During this tenure, she has led a number of notable, community-oriented, collaborative public health initiatives, and has overseen the organization’s growth from a budget of approximately $200,000 to more than $40 million. Natalie is assisted by a highly qualified senior management team.

John J. (Jack) Lynch III has served as president and CEO of Main Line Health since 2005, providing executive leadership to suburban Philadelphia’s most comprehensive health care system. During his tenure, Lynch and his leadership team have been credited with strengthening the organization’s commitment to safety, quality and equity and enhancing the technology necessary to support significant advances in those areas. He has also fostered a period of expansion of the system’s health facilities.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
I love that every single day, our team members save lives and work to improve the health of our community. I take pride in all of our 13,000 employees. Our physicians provide the highest quality care, but everyone has a role, including our nurses, dietary and environmental services team members, and others. Our volunteers make a difference every day. We pull together as a group dedicated to providing safe, high-quality, equitable, and affordable care.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
Nearly all the health systems in our region are in a financial crisis. We have watched as hospitals in our area closed or reduced services due to financial losses. As a result, hospitals like ours are dealing with an increased demand for services. But the problem is not just regional. Medicare pays only 75 cents for every dollar of the cost of care provided while Medicaid reimburses 60 cents. The reimbursement model is not sustainable.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
I’m excited that all the hospital systems in our region are working collaboratively to ensure that patients receive equitable care. Eliminating disparities in care means ensuring each patient receives the same care regardless of background and devoting resources to ensure all are provided affordably and with compassion. The job isn’t easy, but Main Line Health has a long-standing commitment to equity and I’m happy we’re a leader in that mission.

Dr. Grace Ma is associate dean for health disparities, founding director of the Center for Asian Health, Laura H. Carnell professor in Urban Health and Population Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Dr. Ma has dedicated 26 years of outstanding service as a nationally-recognized leader and pioneer to health disparities, cancer prevention and control, and population and community-engaged research among underserved Asian-Americans and vulnerable minority populations.