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EPOCH Group announces local management team
Tony Pino, president and chief operating officer of The EPOCH Group, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, recently announced the key management team that will head up the local medical claims adjudication and call center opening in Fort Scott July 5.
Michael Bryant is the director of Process Improvement and Quality Assurance. Bryant brings more than 15 years of experience in the health care outsourcing industry to the EPOCH team. Prior to joining EPOCH, Bryant was the vice president of operations for Healthcare Productivity Automation located in Franklin, Tenn. Prior to HPA, Bryant served as the director of business analysis at Firstsource Solutions. He is a specialist in efficiency and productivity techniques using information technology and software automation tools. Bryant attended Fort Scott Community College and Pittsburg State University. He and his wife have two children and currently live in Fort Scott.
Halene Smith is the director of finance for the EPOCH Group and lives in Overland Park. She has more than 18 years of experience in finance and accounting within the managed health care and insurance industries. She received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Kansas State University.
Deborah Needleman is the human resources manager for The EPOCH Group and has lived in the Fort Scott area since 1988. She has more than 10 years of human resource experience within the managed health care industry. She received a bachelor of science in business management degree from Baker University. Needleman has served on the Kansas State Council of Society Human Resource Management since 2002 and served as the director of the council in 2007 and 2008. She has been a certified senior professional in human resources since 2003.
Dustin McClure is the information technology manager for The EPOCH Group and is a native of Bourbon County. He has more than 14 years of IT experience within the managed healthcare industry. He has spent the last five years as a senior network engineer for an international company. McClure studied at Allen County Community College and Kansas State University. He and his wife, Shana, have two children and live in Uniontown.
Stacy Dwyer is the claims manager for The EPOCH Group. She is a native of Fort Scott and has more than 20 years of experience in the managed health care claim operations industry. Dwyer is a graduate of Fort Scott High School and received an associate of arts degree from FSCC. She began her career with Lincoln National Life Insurance. Prior to joining the team, she was a claims manager with CIGNA.
Sandy Higgins is the process improvement and quality assurance manager for The EPOCH Group and has been a Bourbon County resident since relocating from California 16 years ago. Higgins brings 15 years of experience in customer service, process improvement and management to the team. She previously worked for an international company as a business analyst in the healthcare industry. She is a Six Sigma Green Belt. Higgins lives in Fort Scott with her husband and two sons.
