News Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2008
Surgical Review Corporation Names New Chairman
and Members to its Board of Directors
RALEIGH, NC — Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) is pleased to announce the recent election of Neil Hutcher, M.D., FACS, as chairman and five new members to its Board of Directors. Hutcher will succeed Walter J. Pories, M.D., FACS as chairman when Pories’ term expires June 1.
“Dr. Hutcher is, indeed, the ideal successor to chair SRC’s Board of Directors,” said Pories. “He is a practicing bariatric surgeon and widely respected for his technical skills and devotion to patient care. He is innovative, skillful in legislative affairs, dedicated to our discipline, totally ethical and blessed with a wonderful sense of humor. I am grateful and delighted that he has agreed to take on this task.”
“I also want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to serve and, especially, my profound appreciation to my colleagues in the ASMBS and to Gary Pratt and his staff at SRC for their unfailing support in the pursuit of better care for our patients,” said Pories.
“Dr. Pories has shepherded SRC through its inception and early years, leaving it a vibrant force championing patient safety,” said Hutcher. “It is humbling to be chosen to walk in his shadow. I will depend on his help and advice as SRC continues its future evolution.”
Hutcher is past president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). A private practitioner in Richmond, Virginia, he has performed more than 3,000 gastric bypass surgeries. He is actively researching the effects of gastric bypass on type 2 diabetes and cancer risk, and directs his efforts toward the education of the general public and legislative lobbying on both the federal and state level about the success of weight loss surgery in the treatment of obesity.
SRC’s Board is made up of industry stakeholders, including health plans, professional liability groups, patient advocates, medical device manufacturers and surgeons. The new members include:
Robin Blackstone M.D., FACS — Medical Director of the Scottsdale Bariatric Center. She is Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, serves on the Executive Council of the ASMBS and is a consultant and proctor for Ethicon Endo-Surgery. Dr. Blackstone has also served as a member of SRC’s Bariatric Surgery Review Committee for the past three years.
Don Bradley M.D., MHS-CL — Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Healthcare at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Dr. Bradley was instrumental in the launch of BCBSNC’s own bariatric surgery centers of excellence program. He represents health plans on SRC’s board.
Morgan Downey — Executive Vice President of The Obesity Society, a scientific society committed to encouraging research on the causes and treatment of obesity. With values closely aligned to the ASMBS, The Obesity Society keeps the medical community and public informed of new advances.
Jim Fivecoat — Manager, Retirement Plans, Michelin North America Inc. and Chairman of the Board for the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is the consumer representative on the SRC Board. His position at Michelin also brings representation from the large employer groups. From OAC he brings experience with patient advocacy — education, access to medical treatments for obese patients, safe and effective treatments and elimination of the negative stigma associated with all types of obesity. Fivecoat is a bariatric surgery patient who remains successful with his weight loss.
Scott A. Shikora, M.D., FACS — President-elect of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Professor of Surgery and Chief, General Surgery, Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Tufts-New England Medical Center. SRC recently added the ASMBS president-elect position to its Board of Directors to ensure effective communications continues between the ASMBS and SRC. He will serve on the board until his term as ASMBS president begins and a successor is named.
“We are very fortunate to have the experience, knowledge and support of these new board members” said SRC’s CEO Gary M. Pratt. “I’m confident their expertise and leadership will help guide SRC to the next level.”
Contact
Pam Greer-Ullrich, APR, M.A.
Director, Communications
919.792.3772