Former Insurance Exec Finds Success on Opposite Side of the Negotiation Table.

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Former Insurance Exec Finds Success on Opposite Side of the Negotiation Table.

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Media Contact:
Amy M. Hutton
Marketing & Public Relations Consultant
Fulcrum Strategies
a.hutton@fsdoc.com
919.539.6564

Former Insurance Exec Finds Success on Opposite Side of the Negotiation Table
Fulcrum Strategies is one of the fastest growing small businesses in the Triangle

Raleigh, N.C. (October 1, 2009) – Ron Howrigon, president and founder of Fulcrum Strategies in Raleigh, NC, knows what the big insurance execs are thinking. No, he’s not psychic. It’s better. Howrigon has held senior management level positions with three of the largest managed care companies in the country, including Kaiser Permanente, CIGNA HealthCare and BlueCross BlueShield. After seeing firsthand the way that insurance companies were treating physicians, Howrigon decided that enough was enough. After 18 years in the managed care industry, the disgruntled businessman packed his things and left the insurance industry for good.

Howrigon struggled with what to do next. With no job and a growing family, he knew that his next move was crucial. “What do I know how to do well?” he thought. Then he had an epiphany: “I came to the realization that I had been working for the wrong team all along. I should have been helping physicians to stay in practice, not putting them out of business!” Howrigon asked two of his best friends to leave the managed care industry and work with him. In July of 2004, Fulcrum Strategies was born.

According to Howrigon, for too long, insurance companies have held an unfair advantage over physicians, and too many of America's best and brightest physicians have been driven out of practice, frustrated by arcane cost management edicts, dropped by greedy network managers, or simply crushed by mountains of paperwork. “Our goal is to level the playing field between the local doctor and the big Fortune 500 HMO because physicians should be able to concentrate on what they do best -- giving patients exceptional care --without the fear of going out of business.”

“What we love about Fulcrum Strategies is that they are able to see through the games that insurance companies play when negotiating our contracts,” said Fulcrum client and Raleigh Neurology Administrative Manager, Steve Smith. “As former insurance professionals, the Fulcrum consultants understand the mindset of insurance companies so we are able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that our docs are being compensated fairly for the dedication and care they provide our patients with each and every day.”
And in the midst of all the uncertainty surrounding health care reform, Fulcrum Strategies has managed to secure itself in yet another unique niche. Fulcrum recently launched a brand new, innovative information portal for physicians to receive everything they need to know and understand regarding health care reform. Fulcrum Strategies’ “Public Affairs for Physicians” provides doctors with a website, blog, and social media initiatives to explain how health care reform will impact them.

“Given the rapid pace of health care reform, we found it to be absolutely critical to assist physicians in understanding not only the federal government's involvement in the health care system and the managed care response, but more importantly, how those aspects will impact physician groups and their practices,” explained Howrigon.
Since the company first began five years ago, Fulcrum has quickly become a small business like no other in the Triangle. With just ten dedicated employees, Fulcrum Strategies now serves more than 45 clients in 15 states across the country, and in 2009 they are expected to earn well over $1 million in revenue.

But for the entire Fulcrum team, it’s about more than just profit. “We’ve all experienced that life-changing moment when we have said ‘thank you’ to a doctor for the exceptional care they have given us or our loved ones. For me, it was three times: the days that each of my children were born. That’s what makes it all worthwhile,” said Howrigon.

So what’s the biggest difference between the two sides of the negotiation table? For Howrigon, that’s an easy question to answer. “In social situations I’m not embarrassed to talk about my job anymore! I am finally able to take pride in the work that I do and the caliber of individuals that I am able to help. You can’t put a price tag on that.”

Please visit www.fsdoc.com for more information about Fulcrum Strategies or visit www.fsdoc.com/reform for information regarding Fulcrum Strategies’ Public Affairs for Physicians website.

About Ron Howrigon:
Ron Howrigon is president and founder of Fulcrum Strategies. Mr. Howrigon has 18 years of experience in the managed care industry as a negotiator and network manager. He has held senior management level positions with three of the largest managed care companies in the country including Kaiser Permanente, CIGNA HealthCare and BlueCross BlueShield. Mr. Howrigon is the past president of the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Association of Health Plans as well as a past member of the Lovelace Health Systems Board of Directors and the Utah Visiting Nurses Association Board of Directors. Mr. Howrigon was awarded a Masters of Economics degree from North Carolina State University where he focused on Health Economics with a minor in Statistics. He also earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University.

About Fulcrum Strategies:
Fulcrum Strategies is a provider advocacy group based in Raleigh, NC, which is made up of former health insurance professionals who could no longer sleep at night knowing the way that managed care companies were treating the American health care provider. Founded in July of 2004, Fulcrum Strategies is dedicated to leveling the playing field between the local doctor and the big Fortune 500 HMO because we believe that physicians should be able to concentrate on what they do best—providing patients with exceptional care—without the fear of being put out of business. Fulcrum Strategies provides a variety of services to more than 45 clients in 15 states across the country. These services include Contract Negotiation, Negotiation Coaching and Negotiation Seminars, Marketing and Public Relations Consulting, and Financial Consulting. Fulcrum’s newest service, Public Affairs for Physicians, was created to assist hardworking physicians in understanding the federal government’s involvement in the health care system, the managed care response, and exactly how those aspects of the industry will impact physician groups and their practices. Fulcrum Strategies: We are superior provider advocates.

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