Sarah Henning has been promoted to director of population health programs at HealthChoice. Henning previously served as manager of the department. In her new role, Henning is responsible for designing, implementing and managing population health and wellness initiatives and programs for the HealthChoice network.
She also collaborates with stakeholders to promote and support these programs and to ensure they meet the needs of the affected populations and adapt with the changing health care environment.

SARAH HENNING

Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Experience: Over 30 years of service to the Memphis community as a registered nurse with experience expanding across multiple health care environments: hospital, home, community and populations. Progressive clinical and leadership experience includes pediatric and adult emergency room and critical care, home care services, staff development, case management, project management and population health management.

Education includes Master of Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois; Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University.

Board certified as Accredited Case Manager – RN. Publications include: “The Competency Continuum: Expanding the case manager's skill sets and capabilities” (2008), and “Breaking the Boundaries: Standardization of a Competency Assessment Model for All Clinical Disciplines” (2008).

What talent do you wish you had? I would love to be able to sing harmony with a bluegrass band. I’m drawn to the simplicity of lyrics and the nuances of harmony that are characteristic of mountain bluegrass music.

Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? My parents have had the greatest influence on me. They taught me at an early age to be organized and planful, to set goals, influence others to get things done, and to always be respectful and gracious in the face of adversity.

What services fall under the HealthChoice’s population health programs, and what are the overarching goals? The overarching goals for HealthChoice’s population health programs are to improve the health of our members and families, enhance their experience with their health care, and reduce health care costs.

We partner with our patients and their families, employers, physicians and health plans to accomplish these goals. We do this through our programs for care transition, complex care management, chronic condition management, and support services such as medication therapy management and medical nutrition therapy management. We also teach members how to prevent or manage their diabetes and the complications that can develop from lack of management of their condition.

Walk us through the typical steps a care manager might take to help someone with their condition. Each member is unique and has individual circumstances in which they find themselves. For that reason, each of our programs follow a different workflow, all working toward the same goal: to improve the health and lives of the patients and families we interact with.

We assess what they need in terms of education, resources, support, medications, health care providers and services. We work with the individual on a plan of action to address the needs we identify, we facilitate and intervene to assist them with getting the providers and services they need for their health care, and we collaborate and coordinate with their doctors, employers and health plans to help execute their plan and achieve the best outcomes possible for their health.

Beyond helping patients, how do services such as these benefit physicians, hospitals, insurers, etc.? We are the eyes and ears beyond the walls of the hospital, health plans and physician offices. We see patients with their families, where they work and in their homes. We engage them on the phone, or by email and text, whatever works best for their situation. We are the “boots on the ground,” if you will, and we’re able to advocate for them with their physicians, employers and health plans to secure services that are available to them. We provide education about their conditions after they have been discharged from the hospital or emergency room, and we encourage them to see their primary care physician, which helps reduce the risk of being hospitalized again.

What outcomes has HealthChoice seen among participants in these programs? We have seen a reduction in emergency room visits, hospitalizations and medical cost through our Transition of Care and Diabetes Self Management programs. We also have seen an increase in physician office visits after a hospital discharge for those members we have engaged with after leaving the hospital. We’ve also interviewed members and have published testimonials of their experiences on our website, MyHealthChoice.com.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishments are my children. My husband, Andrew, and I adopted two toddlers through international adoption, a very complicated and lengthy process, about 14 years ago. Katie and Adam are teenagers now and have developed their own identities, and each has unique skills and abilities that I hope will help them navigate our complicated world. I also hope that we have instilled in them good values and morals so they become productive members of society.

What do you most enjoy about your work? The work we do at HealthChoice is ever-changing and takes innovation and collaboration with our network of physicians, hospitals and health plan partners to stay ahead of the shifting health care environment. Our clinical, analytical and operations teams, along with our visionary leaders, support an agile work environment. Everyone has a spirit of collaboration and teamwork, which yields and supports a strong team.

If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? I would advise young people to set goals early in life and develop a strong work ethic. Others will recognize their potential and opportunities will present themselves.

STEVE BROMMER

Steve Brommer has joined CBRE’s Memphis retail team. Brommer brings more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, participating in hundreds of transactions totaling more than $250 million. Brommer is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and is licensed in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Harwood Center, a nonprofit organization that supports children with developmental delays, has hired Helena Powell as its executive director and Rachel Lauletta as behavioral services director. Powell previously served as director of development for the Mid-South chapter of the American Red Cross. Lauletta is a board-certified, licensed behavior analyst and has served as a lead behavior analyst for The Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Star Center School for Autism, both in Florida.

Gabe McGaha has been awarded the Tennessee Bar Association’s Larry Wilks Award, which recognizes a TBA Leadership Law program class member with exceptional leadership qualities. McGaha is an attorney with Fisher Phillips’ Memphis office, where he handles both litigating and counseling clients on a variety of employment-related matters.

James Kelley has joined Renaissance Group Inc. as an intern architect. Kelly graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor’s in architecture. As an intern architect, he assists in schematic design phases with digital massing model studies and Photoshop sketch editing, and also works in design development using Revit and Sketchup Pro.

Larry Jensen has been elected as an at-large member of Ducks Unlimited Inc.’s national board of directors. Jensen is president and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors.

The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority has promoted Glen Thomas to director of strategic marketing and communications. Thomas has served as senior manager of strategic communications and community outreach since September 2013. In his new role, Thomas will be responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and managing the marketing, communications, customer service/relations and public affairs functions for Memphis International Airport and MSCAA’s general aviation airports.

Indigo, whose commercial and customer service is based in Memphis, has been named among the World Economic Forum’s 2017 class of Technology Pioneers. Dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, Indigo was chosen among hundreds of candidates for their commitment to designing, developing and deploying technologies and innovations to impact global business and society.

The Tennessee Society of CPAs has announced its 2017-2018 Memphis Chapter officers and the appointment of two local certified public accountants who will chair statewide committees. The newly elected officers include Kelly Crow of Reynolds, Bone and Griesbeck PLC, president; Shirley McCauley of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, president-elect; Patricia "Pat" Frizzell of FedEx Services, vice president of programs; Devonya Longino of Medical Education and Research Institute, vice president of membership; Jennifer Elton of CBIZ MHM LLC, treasurer; and Justin Carter of Watkins Uiberall PLLC, secretary. At-large directors include Stacy Chow Black of Elliott Davis Decosimo, scholarship committee chair; Cherry Blanton of CBIZ MHM LLC, student night chair; Karolina Calhoun of Mercer Capital Management Inc., young CPA chair; Robert “Bob” E. Palmer of Data Guidance Group Inc., civic activities chair; Greg Shelton of Greg Shelton, CPA, spring social chair; and Tracy White of Pfizer Inc, professional development chair. John Griesbeck, managing partner at Reynolds, Bone and Griesbeck PLC, has been elected chair of the TSCPA Personnel Committee. Robert Vance, a principal at Forensic and Valuation Services PLC in Memphis, has been elected chair of the TSCPA Forensic and Valuation Services Committee.