Reliant Medical Group Executive Leadership Team
Robert Yood, MD
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Chief of Rheumatology
Armin Ernst, MD
President/Chief Executive Officer
Stephen Dolat
Executive Vice President of Clinic Operations
Randi Nichols
Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Operations Support Services
Bruce Plummer
Chief Financial Officer
Stephen Knox
Executive Director for Planning/Strategy & Business Support
Dr. Robert Yood
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Chief of Rheumatology
Dr. Robert Yood has been with Reliant Medical Group throughout his entire career. After completing his fellowship in Rheumatology at Boston University in 1979, he became the very first rheumatologist to practice at Reliant Medical Group.
In his role as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Yood focuses on fiduciary and executive oversight, strategic planning, establishing appropriate committees, and overall clinical quality. Along with the other members of the Board of Trustees and President and CEO Dr. Jack Dutzar, Dr. Yood is responsible for guiding the future of Reliant Medical Group and helping the Clinic achieve its overall goals and vision. Dr. Yood first joined Reliant Medical Group's Board of Trustees in 1984 and has served as a member of the Board from 1984-1998 and from 2002 until present.
In addition to being Chief of Rheumatology at Reliant Medical Group, Dr. Yood is also Medical Director of the Research Department, which conducts many different drug and epidemiological studies. He has authored or coauthored over 60 published research studies while at Reliant Medical Group. Dr. Yood is also committed to teaching and is Chief of the Division of Rheumatic Diseases and Musculoskeletal Medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
A graduate of Yale University and Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Yood has provided exemplary service to patients and the rheumatology community for many years. Dr. Yood previously chaired the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Committee on Ethics and Conflicts of Interest and the Government Affairs Committee, and he was a member of the ACR Board of Directors. In 2003, he was the recipient of the Paulding Phelps Award, a prestigious award given by the ACR in recognition of outstanding service on behalf of clinical rheumatologists. Dr. Yood was also named Reliant Medical Group Teacher of the Year in 1989 and Researcher of the Year in 1993.
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Dr. Armin Ernst
President/Chief Executive Officer
As President and CEO of Reliant Medical Group, Dr. Armin Ernst leads a large multispecialty medical group practice that employs more than 2,000 people and serves patients in 20 locations throughout Central Massachusetts. Dr. Ernst joined Reliant Medical Group in March of 2013 from Steward Health Care.
As Vice President of the Medical Business Unit at Steward, Dr. Ernst oversaw 200 providers and 600 employees including all medical specialties, primary care providers, neurologists, pediatricians and office staff. During his career at Steward, Dr. Ernst was also Director of Network Development and Vice President of the Thoracic Service Line. His work at Steward included facilitating the development of an infrastructure prepared to function in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) environment.
Prior to being a vice president at Steward, Dr. Ernst was the Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Brighton, Massachusetts, a tertiary referral center for Steward Health Care and a major teaching hospital of Tufts University Medical School. From 1997 – 2010, Dr. Ernst was Chief of Interventional Pulmonology and Medical Director of the Complex Airway program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. Throughout his career Dr. Ernst has had a strong interest in teaching and research. He is a full professor of medicine at Tufts Medical School and has published six textbooks and over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Ernst has also trained many leaders in Interventional Pulmonology though one of the first dedicated training programs available in the world.
Born in Germany, Dr. Ernst received his medical degree from the University of Heidelberg. He completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, affiliates of Harvard Medical School. Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Ernst also earned a Masters of Science in Health Care Management from Harvard University.
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Stephen Dolat
Executive Vice President of Clinic Operations
Stephen Dolat brings to Reliant Medical Group an extensive management background honed in the software, biotech and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in the United States Navy. In his current role as Executive Vice President of Clinic Operations, he ensures that operating policies, procedures and systems at all Reliant Medical Group sites are implemented and monitored. As a member of the Clinic’s Executive Management Team, Stephen also participates in setting long-range strategic goals.
A certified project management professional, Stephen came to Reliant Medical Group from PAREXEL, Inc., a Newton, Massachusetts-based contract research organization that provides software services to the biotech and pharmacy industries. At PAREXEL, he was responsible for business process reengineering and portfolio management.
Previously, Stephen was the Chief Operating Officer for Daedalus Software, Inc., where his responsibilities included recruiting and training project managers in Process Management Improvement (PMI)-based processes, as well as improving requirements and design documentation. Stephen also spent seven years with Pfizer, Inc., most recently as the Director of Informatics.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Stephen has also had a distinguished military career, retiring from the naval reserves as a Captain. He also holds a masters in business administration from the University of Phoenix. Outside of Reliant Medical Group, he contributes much of his personal time to youth initiatives and to the community.
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Randi Nichols
Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Operations Support Services
Randi Nichols joined Reliant Medical Group in 2004 as the Chief Human Resources Officer. Since then she has earned expanded responsibilities, and now oversees several key operational support departments at the Clinic, including Human Resources, Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, Customer Service, Continuous Process Redesign and Marketing.
In addition to her extensive experience in all aspects of Human Resource operations, Randi is keenly interested and uniquely skilled in leading strategic initiatives, particularly those aimed at continuously improving patient service, as well as promoting learning and professional development among Reliant Medical Group employees at all levels.
Before arriving at Reliant Medical Group, Randi held executive positions in the greater Boston software industry. Most recently, she was the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Wildfire Communications, Inc. Prior to this she was a Vice President at SystemSoft Corporation.
An active participant in the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), Randi is the Chair of this trade organization’s Human Resources Leadership Council. She is also a Corporator for the Worcester Ecotarium and sits on the Board of another Human Resource association.
Randi holds a masters in business administration from the Eisenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. From the same school, she also earned a masters of science degree in Human Resources. She received her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
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Bruce Plummer
Chief Financial Officer
Bruce Plummer serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development for Reliant Medical Group, Inc. A seasoned financial executive with 25 years of progressive audit and healthcare experience, he provides financial oversight to this $280 million multi-specialty group practice employing over 400 medical practitioners. Mr. Plummer’s financial responsibilities include revenue operations, payor contracting, financial planning and analysis, tax planning and compliance, internal controls and financial reporting. Operational responsibilities include management of the malpractice subsidiaries, business development, Information Services, Facilities, and management of the retail subsidiaries.
During his tenure at Reliant Medical Group, Mr. Plummer has led several key initiatives. Most notably he has restructured the economic and operational terms of the Health Care Services Agreement, implemented a financial turnaround of the Clinic’s pharmacy business, coordinated a complex ownership transfer that increased physician ownership of the Clinic to 100% and executed the divestiture of the Pharmacy business. He also provided oversight of several improvements in collection processes resulting in a considerable increase in up-front collection rates and cash flow.
Before joining Reliant Medical Group, Mr. Plummer provided financial direction and oversight for area healthcare organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Centers and Matthew Thornton Health Plan. He has implemented financial turnaround initiatives, led the divestiture of key business units, and has consistently worked to improve the integrity of financial systems and reporting functions.
Mr. Plummer is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and holds a bachelor of science in Business Administration.
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Stephen Knox
Executive Director for Planning/Strategy & Business Support
A skilled financial executive, Stephen’s experience on the payer, hospital and physician side of the health care industry make him a valuable addition to Reliant Medical Group’s Executive Management Team. Serving as Executive Director for Planning/Strategy, Stephen is responsible for many key partnership activities at Reliant Medical Group. He also plays an important role in leading and coordinating new strategies and ongoing activities that support our growth and profitability. Stephen is also responsible for helping to coordinate Reliant Medical Group’s integration with Atrius Health. In this role, Stephen retains his previous responsibilities for many business support functions, including all financial planning, physician compensation, medical economics, decision support systems, capital and budgeting, payer contracting, payer relations, and corporate reimbursement.
Stephen has an MBA in Finance from the University of Hartford and is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in health systems management. He first joined Reliant Medical Group in 1998 as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis before being promoted to Executive Director of Business Support & Contracting. Stephen has played an important role in many key initiatives at Reliant, including the acquisition and divestiture of several lines of business, improvements in the capital and operating budget process, and the development of a unique financial reporting system that is used to manage the ongoing operations of Reliant Medical Group.
Before joining Reliant Medical Group, Stephen worked at UMass Memorial Health Care for nine years as Director of Financial Operations. He began his career at Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, working in financial analysis, contracting, and payer relations.