SENIOR MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL
BIOGRAPHIES
Amir Neshat,
D.D.S
Founder/Chairman/CEO
LIBERTY Dental Plan
Dr. Neshat’s experience in managed healthcare and
dental benefits results from leadership roles at multiple organizations
including, Preferred Dental Care, Family Dental, Dental café Mobile
Dental Services, and Columbus Dental Group. He has been a professional
involved in many different aspects of dental care for approximately 15
years. He comes from a family of health care professionals and
successful business professionals and has demonstrated his capabilities
in dentistry, general business management, and turn-around management
through various different ventures.
In 2001, he seized an opportunity to save from
closure and insolvency a CA licensed dental HMO. Today, just a few
years later, LIBERTY Dental Plan has established itself as one of the
highest quality, efficient and fastest growing companies of its kind in
the Nation.
Dr. Neshat’s education includes a Bachelor of
Science Degree from the University Of California, San Diego (UCSD) and a
Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from the University of Southern
California (USC). He has been an expert consultant/provider in the
dental field for a number of health/dental insurance companies, legal
firms, and government agencies.
Karen Feldman, D.D.S.
Dental Director
CT
License # 009524
LIBERTY Dental Plan East, LLC
110 Washington,
Avenue
North Haven, CT 06473
Dr. Karen Feldman
has 23 years experience in clinical dentistry and the
managed care industry including 20 years experience in
quality management. Recently, Dr. Feldman founded "Got Dental
Benefits?" a company that provides advocacy services on denied
claims and grievances for dentists and patients.
She is currently serving as Dental
Director for Frontier Dental Management Company and has recently
worked in various consulting roles including for Vista Research, a
specialized division of Standard & Poor's, that connects medical
thought leaders with institutional investors through expert panels and
phone consultations, as well as with the California Department of
Managed Health Care and the California Association of Dental Plans
managing a special project on the development of suggested template EOC
language.
Dr. Feldman served as NATIONAL DENTAL DIRECTOR for
WellPoint/Anthem Dental Services, Inc. in Connecticut where she
supervised, among other things, the Quality Assurance and Improvement
Programs for the Connecticut Medicaid Program (HUSKY) and general dental
and orthodontic Dental Review Unit for HUSKY Beneficiaries.
She has also served as Dental Director for Blue
Cross of California, UniCare, and Anthem Dental in Virginia. She
was responsible for New Hampshire, Maine, and Colorado for Golden West
Dental and Vision Plan and also worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Georgia, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri and Dental Blue of
Wisconsin.
Dr. Feldman is licensed to practice dentistry in
California, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and is awaiting licensure
for Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Vermont.
Dr. Feldman practiced dentistry as a sole
practitioner in Van Nuys, California from 1986-1994.
Her education includes Post
Graduate Endodontic Preceptorship at the Albert Einstein Hospital
Consortium, Department of Dentistry. She graduated from Georgetown
University School of Dentistry as a DDS in May of 1984.
Her professional activities
include:
American Health Insurance Plans CDT Coding
Committee-CDT 2007
National Association of Dental Plans, member of
Government Relations Committee, CDT Coding Committee-CDT
2007
California Association of Dental Plans, Co-chair Dental
Director’s Quality Management Committee
Instructor, California
Association of Dental Plans Certified Auditor Training
Program
California Association of Dental Plans Certified Auditor
Dr. Feldman’s Professional
Affiliations:
American Dental Association
California
Dental Association
San Fernando Valley Dental Society
California
Association of Dental Plans
National Association of Dental
Plans
American Association of Public Health
John J. Carvelli
Executive Vice
President
LIBERTY Dental Plan
John is a Director and EVP of the LIBERTY Dental
group of companies.
John recently completed a multi-year project as
President and director of the former Lincoln Hospital Medical Center,
Inc. in Los Angeles, CA. The project included the management and
work-out of one of the oldest and largest community clinic organizations
known as Clinica Medica Familiar. He has extensive experience in
healthcare financial matters and with the underserved Medi-Cal
(Medicaid) and Medicare populations.
In 1996 Carvelli established Empire Pacific, LLC, a
business and public affairs consulting company. Empire Pacific and
affiliates, provide business and public affairs services predominantly
for healthcare companies including the Children’s, Adventist, Tenet and
Sharp Healthcare systems.
Carvelli is and has been active in numerous
political, legislative and campaign activities for over 25 years.
He served as a press aide to former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley of New
Jersey and for a member of the California State Assembly in 1986, John
served as manager of a CA statewide political campaign for Lt.
Governor.
In 1984, Carvelli received a BA degree from The
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. While in Washington,
D.C., Carvelli also served an internship in The U.S. House of
Representatives.
John has served on numerous boards and currently
serves on the Advisory Board of the Parents Television Council.
Randy Brecher
Senior Vice President
LIBERTY
Dental Plan
Mr. Brecher is a senior operations and finance
executive with many years of experience running dental insurance
companies. Mr. Brecher served as the President of PacificDental
Benefits Inc.; initially recruited as the Chief Financial Officer of
this start-up venture with a final membership base of 750,000, before it
was sold to UnitedHealth Group in 2004.
Prior to that Mr. Brecher served as the Chief Financial and Chief
Operations Officer of Delta PMI Dental Health Plan; a dental HMO with
1,000,000 members at the time of Mr. Brecher’s departure.
Mr. Brecher possesses considerable expertise in
strategic planning, financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting,
accounting, underwriting, utilization management, customer service,
membership accounting, claims processing, information technology and
human resources.
Mr. Brecher is a graduate of Colorado State
University with a B.S. Business Administration in Accounting
and a member of the Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honors Fraternity.
His professional credentials include being licensed as a Certified
Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants.
Lynda Bull
Vive president; Provider
Relations
LIBERTY Dental Plan
Lynda provides LIBERTY with over 27 years of
healthcare industry experience. She is currently the Vice
President of Provider Relations and is integrally involved in the
executive management of LIBERTY. Lynda most recently worked for
United Health Group’s division, UnitedHealthcare (UHC), as the Western
Regional Vice President for Professional Network Relations, Dental and
Vision. During her 7 year tenure at UHC and its acquired company,
Pacific Dental Benefits (PDBI), Lynda was responsible for regional
operations, all Professional Relations activities including provider
network development and retention, quality management and served as an
integration team leader and special project manager.
Lynda’s background includes serving as Vice
President, Professional Relations for Delta Dental Plan of California,
Vice President for Oral Health Services, Inc. of California and
directing the start up of Dental Net for Blue Cross of California.
Lynda’s expertise includes plan benefit design, regulatory compliance,
education program development for providers, employers and members, and
all interrelated quality assurance processes.
Richard Hague, D.M.D., M.P.A.
Dental
Director
LIBERTY Dental Plan of CA
Dr. Richard Hague has been the Dental Director for
LIBERTY Dental Plan since inception. His undergraduate degree was earned
at Portland State University and he obtained his dental degree at the
Oregon Health Science Center. Dr. Hague then did his Endodontic
Fellowship Training in Norfolk, VA, with a Masters in Public
Administration obtained at Troy State University.
Dr. Hague has primary responsibility for
dental policy and decision-making for the company. He is
responsible for the direction and supervision of LIBERTY’s Quality
Management and Improvement Department consisting of numerous committees,
dentists, administrative staff and professional consultants.
He is involved in all aspects of LIBERTY’s quality management
activities, including but not limited to, grievance, peer review,
quality assurance, quality audits, monitoring, training, credentialing,
utilization management reporting, and other quality management aspects
of LIBERTY’s operations.
Dr. Hague joined SmileCare Dental Group as a
district manager and director of specialties. He managed a
region of dental offices monitoring budget, production revenue and
staffing. He also coordinated dental specialties in 17
dental centers in southern California
In 1999, Dr. Hague joined Preferred Health Plans as
Dental Director. In this position, he performed audits for
Preferred Health Plans providers throughout southern
California.
Stuart Gray
LIBERTY Dental Plan
Chief
Operating Officer
Mr. Gray brings over 30 years of experience in the
healthcare benefits industry including over 20 specific to state
Medicaid dental programs. He is responsible for LIBERTY’s
operational activities including member services, claims and
eligibility.
Previously, Mr. Gray served as vice president of
operations for Universal Care, Inc. for 13 years; a 500,000 member HMO
that was active in multiple states. Universal Care focused on Medicaid
and SCHIP programs for both medical and dental beneficiaries. This
experience gave Mr. Gray unique perspective in understanding the medical
dental relationship, relative but not limited to developing joint health
education initiatives related to oral health through outreach to the
physician community. Mr. Gray was able to increase preventative
service to dental beneficiaries by 50%. He also developed and
established day-to-day dental operations of an established network of
1400 providers for the delivery of dental care for both Medicaid and
SCHIP programs. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Operations
and Administration with American Dental Health Providers
Mr. Gray received his education and training at the
Unites States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) through the University of
Maryland University College, in Adelphi, Maryland. He is also a veteran
of the United States Marine Corps. He currently serves as the chairman
of the Board of Alta Med Health Service Corporation (a regional FQHC)
and is an active member of Leadership Cabinet for Center for Brand New
Day (503c).
Patrick Carolan
Vice President
LIBERTY Dental
Plan East
He has over 25 years of professional management
experience in the health insurance/ Medicaid Managed Care industry. Mr.
Carolan served as Director of Government Programs for M.D. Health Plan,
where he managed the Connecticut State Employee health plan, Medicaid
Managed Care plan and the Federal Employee Health Plan.
While at MD
Health Plan, Mr. Carolan developed and implemented the “Health awareness
For Kids” (HANK) program, this program received national recognition as
an example of an innovative health promotion program for children.
Mr. Carolan’s other positions include serving as
Executive Director of BeneCare Dental Plans in Connecticut, where he was
responsible for the management of all aspects of both the commercial and
Medicaid dental products. In his role as the Executive Director of
BeneCare Dental Plans of Connecticut Mr. Carolan was involved in finding
solutions to improve dental access for the underserved populations. He
successfully developed several pilot programs to improve access to
dental care including “Bringing Children to Treatment” program”, which
was presented at a National Oral Health conference.
Mr. Carolan has been a member of Connecticut
Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Council and has presented at various
conferences and meetings including the National Oral Health
Conference. He has worked as a consultant to several companies
involved in mergers and acquisitions predominately in the dental and
Medicaid arenas.
Mr. Carolan received
his Bachelors of Science Degree Southern Connecticut State
University.
