Our founder, Larry Hightower, believes the power of physician-centric collaboration will always lead to improved patient care. This culture of collaboration combined with “purpose-driven leadership” creates better clinical, financial and experiential outcomes.
Larry has spent the past three decades working with healthcare initiatives where success depended on developing a culture of collaboration with key opinion leaders (“KOLs”). That collaborative culture was instrumental in developing innovative, and at times disruptive, physician-centric solutions for the marketplace. Larry had the unique privilege of experiencing the power of data-driven physician collaboration during a time when their primary focus was improving patient care, and lending their energy and expertise to develop better technologies, procedures and diagnostic techniques. A time that resulted in better outcomes. A time when physicians and their care teams were not encumbered by the bureaucratic drag they experience today as a result of the industrialization of medicine.
In the late 1990s–early 2000s those same innovative physicians recognized the future and the practicality of merging smaller practices into larger, more efficient enterprises to better serve the business and clinical needs in their marketplace. Medical practices grew from having health benefits costs associated with 20-40 employees to health benefits costs for 125-500+ employees in multiple locations across larger geographic footprints. What was once a $200,000 line-item on the P&L statement exploded to an $1M+ – $5M+ annual challenge.
These large, independent medical practices experience the same pain points – if not more – as any other middle market employer, as medical practices are both on the buy-side and sell-side of health insurance..
Given today’s complex healthcare environment we believe the best solution for our customers is to provide access to a portfolio of independent subject matter experts and third-party specialists. We engage the best independent and transparent subject matter experts and/or third-party specialists to address each unique situation in the most cost and time-efficient manner. Independent specialists that can leverage their experiences from a broad base of clients.
Suspect of health insurance companies’ misaligned principles and opaque operational processes, in 2005 Larry organized a group of large independent medical practices and pitched them on the idea that he would become a licensed health benefits “broker” and hire employees experienced in servicing healthcare benefits. The business plan of the company, VXTRA, was to service large, independent medical practices as their broker of record, but more importantly to “go inside” the health insurance ecosystem to learn where and how things could be done better.
The result? Vxtra developed strategies that allowed it to do things smarter and at a lower cost while reducing friction and eliminating conflicts of interest wherever and whenever possible. VXTRA began a journey that led us to providing innovative health benefits options for dozens of large independent medical practices, covering thousands of employees in 14 states.
In 2009, VXTRA began researching the advantages of health benefits captives; a procurement model where multiple employers become members of their own purpose-built insurance entity. Collectively, they are able to leverage the law of large numbers, create underwriting efficiencies and participate in underwriting profits that traditionally accrue to the benefit of health insurance companies.
After careful due diligence, we became one of the early movers in the captive space and placed a portion of our client base into a dedicated captive. Currently 90 percent of our customer base funds their health benefits leveraging the attributes of a captive.
To date, our program has outperformed market trends, provided significant opportunities to abate risk and distributed more than $2,000,000.00 in underwriting profits to the captive’s members.
Our journey will always be one that seeks to discover root causes to problems and addresses inefficiencies. We are determined to continue developing innovative solutions focused on improving the value of the solutions we provide. Our goals continue to be enhancing customer experiences for innovative employers and their employees through innovation that challenges conventional thinking, legacy technologies and traditional supply chain relationships.
Our mission is dedicated to creating collaborative, value-added relationships with innovative physicians and their medical practices that translates into high-value solutions for other employers as well.
MILLION
Saved for large medical practices
YEARS
Experience
MILLION
Underwriting profits distributed to Members
GREATER TRANSPARENCY = MORE CONTROL
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Vice President of Operations
Founder & CEO
An acknowledged industry innovator, Larry has spent his career improving clinical and economic outcomes through disruptive medical technologies and high value healthcare services. He founded Vxtra in 2005 to address the financial inequities, opaque practices, and technological challenges associated with the health benefits large, independent medical practices offered their employees. Leveraging his experience and relationships with entrepreneurial physicians nationwide, Larry continues to spearhead the search for financial and technology-based solutions designed to improve the delivery of healthcare benefits for our clients.
Chief Financial Officer
A results-driven leader, Bill is responsible for the oversight of Vxtra’s financial matters, as well as developing business forecasts to meet the company’s future operational needs. In addition to senior partnership positions with Ernst & Young during his career, Bill has a demonstrated success in corporate acquisition and development for both public and venture-backed private companies. He has served as both a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant.
Vice President of Operations
With a background built on understanding physician/patient relationships, Elizabeth is responsible for managing the company’s operations team. In her role, she develops benefit plan design, funding rates, and renewal strategies. In addition she leads a team focused on delivering timely plan performance metrics and analytics. Versed in ACA and HR compliance, she is certified by the the National Association of Health Underwriters as a Self-Funding Professional.
Client Services Manager
An award-winning customer service specialist, Carmen is exceptional at developing and customizing service packages based on each client’s unique needs. In her role she assists clients with on general benefit questions, claims resolution, billing questions, and enrollment issues.
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Emily is responsible for building and managing the distribution of our performance reports and supporting our big data analytics deliverables for our clients. Additionally, she creates and maintains internal and external reports to assist senior management in decision-making, overseeing quality assurance, and data analytics.
Client Services Specialist
With a background in organizational and multitask management, Contessa places a high priority on customer service and client relationships. She is focused on enrollments, billing and handling service issues for all clients.
Director of Business Development
A Vxtra team member since 2005, Bret is hands-on with optimizing partner relationships and focusing on captive membership growth. He is adept at educating clients on everything from the specific value of the self-funded captive platform and network considerations to plan design flexibility and levels of reinsurance appropriate for their profile. Past roles at Vxtra include servicing, marketing and renewing large medical practices in multiple states nationwide.
Underwriting & Risk Management
A seasoned healthcare underwriter and risk manager with experience in large, self-funded health plans, Mark oversees the development of rates and projections in conjunction with Vxtra’s risk partners. With more than 30 years’ experience working with private and public sector plans, insurance carriers, and HMOs, Mark has developed financial and business models for both managed care and large provider organizations.
Chief Medical Informatics Officer & Director
A board-certified adult and pediatric urologist, Dr. Di Loreto brings extensive experience as an influential physician leader and healthcare innovator. He served as a consultant and urology advisory panel member for the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health for more than 30 years.
Dr. Di Loreto was the co-founder and president of the Michigan Institute of Urology, the nation’s first large urology super group. He served as the medical director of Michigan Mobile Lithotripsy, was the co-founder and board member of Michigan Cryogenic Equipment Services and Michigan Mobile Urology Services. In addition, he served as the co-founder and medical director of Great Lakes Lithotripsy, and chief medical information officer for Integra Connect. He was the chief of urology and past president of medical staff at Saint John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit where he was chairman of the board for the hospital and health system.
Account Manager
After a successful career in Human Resources in Property Management, Lynn returns to corporate America as our new Benefits Specialist/Account Manager. In her role she assists the internal client management team by providing account management support in order to meet client expectations. She enhances Vxtra’s relationships by executing proactive, creative and on-going contact initiatives. She is focused on building customer relationships by ensuring the client’s needs are met while providing exceptional customer service and loyalty.
2700 Cumberland Parkway
Suite 140
Atlanta, GA 30339