Onstott Group Finds CEO for Women’s Health USA
February 8, 2018 – The Onstott Group, a Wellesley, MA-based search firm, has placed the chief executive officer for Women’s Health USA (WHUSA). Goran Dragolovic, a 30-year veteran of the healthcare services field, comes to his new role from Optum (previously Surgical Care Affiliates), where he was senior vice president of practice growth and transformation. Leading the search was Brian Kelley, managing director and head of Onstott’s healthcare practice.
Mr. Dragolovic’s hiring comes just a few months after Avon, CT-based WHUSA completed a majority recapitalization with private equity firm Sverica Capital Management. His placement is considered a key piece in the healthcare group’s long-term growth initiative.
“Goran possessed the operational background in health services in a multi-site/state health services sector, proven respect amongst clinicians and had the management style to take WHUSA to the next level,” said Mr. Kelley. “He understands the private equity-backed model and grasped the overall growth vision for WHUSA. Not to mention that he is well-respected in the healthcare services field and amongst his peers.”
A National Search
The search, which was national in scope, took three and a half months. There were no outstanding obstacles to landing Mr. Dragolovic. “Our search criteria was looking both at an ‘operator’ or ‘developer’ who can scale a business,” said Mr. Kelley. “We opted to move the search toward the operational candidates with proven successes in scaling and oversight of a national footprint.”
Onstott sourced at least 50 prospects for the job and screened more than 30, said Mr. Kelley. In the end, five candidates were presented.
Dave Finley, WHUSA’s chairman of board, said that Mr. Dragolovic possessed the qualities that the organization sought in its new leader. “Since Sverica’s investment in WHUSA, the Sverica team has focused on a candidate worthy of our vision to replace retiring founder, Bob Patricelli,” he said. “We found Goran to be extremely well-suited for the position. His experiences will be highly complementary to the capabilities and expertise of the current WHUSA senior executive team.”
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A Unique Opportunity
Mr. Dragolovic, for his part, said he was excited about the possibilities for women’s healthcare that lie ahead in his new role. “There is a unique opportunity for OB/GYN practitioners to become indispensable architects of value-based delivery models within their specialty, deliver on the triple aim, and transform the trajectory of women’s health,” he said. “As a nationally recognized leader in women’s health with an impeccable reputation, clinical credibility and expertise, WHUSA is uniquely positioned to lead efforts to assist physicians in seizing these opportunities. I’m grateful and thrilled to join the remarkable team at WHUSA and help lead our collective growth efforts.”
WHUSA’s new leader spent close to seven years with Surgical Care Affiliates, and then at Optum, which acquired the surgical group. Mr. Dragolovic served in several capacities there, including management of a $500 million portfolio of surgery centers and specialty hospitals in the western US, leading enterprise-wide strategic service-line expansion and, after the Optum transaction, moving into the practice growth and transformation role.
In that position, Mr. Dragolovic helped aggregate and organize specialty and surgical physician groups into market-leading CINs (clinically-integrated networks), high-performance IPAs and value-based narrow networks. These groups were positioned to take advantage of innovative payment models on an episodic and population risk basis, either under upside gain-sharing arrangements, or on a full-risk basis. These arrangements allowed independent physicians to take greater control of value-based care delivery within their respective markets, ensured attendant economic benefits and enabled physician groups to grow and thrive within the existing volatile healthcare market.
Serving Diverse Sectors
WHUSA, created in 1997, provides OB/GYN, in vitro fertilization, and other specialty women’s health practices with a full suite of practice management solutions. Those include including payor contracting, revenue cycle management, EMR support, financial and human resource management, merger and acquisition support, ancillary services development, and risk management services. WHUSA’s partnership model enables physicians and physician groups to maintain their independence, while leveraging the resources of a national organization.
The Onstott Group serves the recruitment needs of businesses across a number of sectors, including aerospace / defense, technology, healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech, manufacturing, consumer, business services, non-profit, higher education, venture capital, private equity and high growth companies. Based in the Boston area, with offices in Greenwich, CT and Houston, TX, the firm has filled senior-level roles for an array of clients, clients including American Science & Engineering, MorphoTrust USA, Dyn, Paytronix Systems, Valore, Vicon Industries, Demandware, Welch’s, Bose Corp. and Direct Energy, among a host of others.
Mr. Kelley, who joined the firm three years ago, specializes in healthcare and media. He has over 20 years of experience in general management and consulting. He entered the search business 22 years ago as vice president of Michael Kelly Associates, a firm specializing in healthcare, technology and financial services. Most recently he launched BTK Associates for executive and board search services. Prior to that, he was a partner at an executive search firm, where he ran its healthcare practice.
His consulting experience covers an array of healthcare sectors, including devices, payers, providers and biotechnology. He has worked closely with the private equity and venture capital sectors on senior-level searches, management audits, advisory board services and market analysis their portfolio companies.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
