The principles at JDG advisors have worked together on reimbursement projects continually since 2009 in a variety of areas including the digital health and remote monitoring space, medical device, AI diagnostics and behavioral health. Their diverse skill set, experience and industry networks have resulted in a synergistic partnership uniquely positioning them to support business strategy and market access for start-ups and young companies in need of support for coding, coverage, payment, and reimbursement market access in the US.
Ms. Denise Garris began her career in healthcare in 1997 with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) where she gained valuable experience in monitoring and analyzing legal, regulatory and legislative issues that affected family physicians nationally. Additionally, one of the primary focuses during her tenure was as the lead staff involved in the multi-year, multi-disciplinary project to refine and clarify the Evaluation and Management CPT codes and guidelines impacting reporting for services for all medical specialties. She partnered with multiple physician societies and the American Medical Association (AMA) throughout this process. She also gained exposure to physician practice administration, practice finance, strategic planning and project management for primary care medical practices.
In 2002, Ms. Garris joined the American College of Cardiology (ACC) as a specialist in private payer advocacy, building strong contacts with private health plans and advocating on a wide variety of issues important to cardiology. Beginning in 2005, Ms. Garris assumed a new role as director of regulatory affairs overseeing the work of coding, coverage and reimbursement issues for the ACC. As the primary staff liaison between the cardiology community and the AMA and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Ms. Garris became well- versed in the development of AMA Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) submissions. She also developed expertise in Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and HCPCS coding / applications for items such as drugs, devices, and radiopharmaceuticals.
Ms. Garris has extensive reimbursement experience in areas such as Medicare/Medicaid program administration, commercial insurance company policy, coverage and program implementation, claims adjudication and physician office/outpatient and Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) billing. A significant component of her current work involves supporting clients in effectively quantifying and communicating the value of their products and services to government agencies or commercial payers. These efforts often involve an assessment of unmet needs in the marketplace, including strategizing coding and payment precedent and reviewing optimal coding and reimbursement options to support commercialization goals and assisting in the implementation of the established strategy.
Ms. Garris has over twenty years of experience in analyzing the health care environment, educating physicians/ practices, and advocating for clients before regulatory agencies. She is certified as a professional coder, ICD-10 proficient and an internationally recognized coding expert. To date she has collaborated on over 120 CPT code change applications resulting in the creation of over 340 separate and distinct CPT codes. In additional to 11 HCPCS applications for new products and 22 revisions to HCPCS descriptors. In 2015, the American Medical Association recognized Denise with an Excellence in Education Award.
Denise is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in Business Administration and she holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She lives outside of Baltimore with her partner Drew, their boys Liam and Colton and two dogs.
Mr. Jon Darsee has spent his career in the medical device and healthcare services industry including more than 20 years as an executive, mostly with companies promoting novel concepts in med-tech, digital health and remote patient monitoring. He recently became the first Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Iowa. His experience includes sales, marketing, corporate communications, product and business development, health policy, reimbursement, mergers and acquisitions and general operations.
Jon was an early executive at iRhythm Technologies (NASDAQ: IRTC), a Stanford University Bio Design birthed start up. To date, iRhythm is the most successful start-up to emerge from the Bio Design in the twenty years since the program began. During a ten-year tenure at iRhythm, Jon served in several leadership roles as an Executive Vice President: Sales and Marketing, Corporate Sales, Business Development and Health Policy and Reimbursement. Jon created and executed the reimbursement strategy that would be pivotal to iRhythm’s successful IPO in 2016.
With experience in telehealth, digital health and wearable cardiac devices, he has held leadership positions with companies in the US and Europe, including several start-ups. He served on the first American Medical Association CPT Telehealth Workgroup. He also was a founding member of Evidence Exchange for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association helping that organization transform their technology assessment offering to the healthcare industry. Jon offers health policy and reimbursement consulting services to early stage med-tech companies and sits on several boards.
At iRhythm, Jon led the effort to create new AMA CPT codes specific to the iRhythm novel cardiac monitoring service. Pivotal to this effort was working closely with professional societies such as the American College of Cardiology, the Heart Rhythm Society and the American Medical Association. He developed relationships with several Medicare contractors as well as many commercial insurance providers. Jon initiated and led efforts at iRhythm to establish Zio Service pricing including for the VA and the DOD, Kaiser, Medicare and commercial payers. Employing a dedicated team of payer relations specialists and consultants, iRhythm gained 100% Medicare coverage while also establishing coverage, payment and in network status with most US commercial payers between 2012 and 2017. Pivotal to this effort was influencing the clinical evidence and publication strategy as well as developing a comprehensive advocacy program which Jon branded “15 Minutes to Advocacy.”
In his role as Chief Innovation Officer, Jon is in charge of the University of Iowa’s economic development activities, including outreach with state government and corporate partners and in particular helping to translate healthcare research into commercial impact by supporting the University technology transfer for licensing IP or by supporting the creation of University licensed startups. The University of Iowa Research Park, Protostudios 3D printing and design labs and UI Ventures, the MADE Program also fall under Jon’s leadership. The University is in the process of creating an Innovation Studio to foster commercial and social entrepreneurial opportunities for students, faculty and staff between all 11 colleges on campus.
A graduate of the University of Iowa and a member of the University of Iowa’s most recent Final Four basketball team, Jon graduated with a Bachelor of General Studies degree. Jon later played professional basketball in Brazil and also lived and worked in Switzerland and The Netherlands. He is a frequent contributor to the Des Moines Register and the USA Today Network; Jon writes a column on sports, culture and the arts. He and his wife Polly live in Iowa City. They have three daughters.