our team
Leadership for your journey on the path to exceptional value-based care
Katherine Fowler
Chief Executive Officer
& Board Member
Katherine Fowler has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare management and holds an MHA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Graduate Certificate in Population Health from Thomas Jefferson University. Her goal is to connect the independent practice community with cost-effective tools and strategies that bring results. She strives to create value and alignment between patients and providers with new care models and strategies. The result is a connected community of talented individuals sharing best practices and providing extraordinary care throughout New Jersey.
Peter Carrazzone, MD
Board Member
Dr. Peter Carrazzone is president of Vanguard Medical Group (VMG) and the medical director of two primary care practices. His goal is to ensure VMG’s mission and vision are integrated in the organization’s strategy and goals. He has utilized change management initiatives and standardized workflows across VMG to improve retention and culture. For the past 11 years, he has been implementing population health strategies and teaching providers the importance of value-based care.
Nalinoë (Nalie) Kernizan
PharmD, BCACP
Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Manager
Nalie Kernizan is a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist who earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. She completed her PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and her PGY-2 Ambulatory Care residency at St. Louis College of Pharmacy/SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Since joining the organization, she has helped improve diabetes management and medication adherence performance to four stars in two Medicare Advantage contracts.
Saloni Joshi
Clinical Data Analyst
Saloni Joshi’s role is to develop an effective and insightful quality metrics dashboard that is used for operational decision-making, change management, and provider performance. She built the medical neighborhood infrastructure and successfully implemented a referral tracking system across 10 primary care locations to control specialist utilization. She has been supporting the population health team for the past four years and is always looking to find the best method of extracting and creating meaningful data.
Robert Hillegass
Director of Technology Consulting
Robert Hillegass has been providing technology consulting services for over 12 years which has included supporting hardware, business software and various Electronic Health Record platforms. He has assisted clients with the transition from paper to EHR and subsequent customization, PCMH recognition, and numerous quality and value-based initiatives including MU, MIPS, CPCi, CPC+ and PCF. Robert works closely with practice managers and providers to identify opportunities for revenue growth and quality improvement then implements data-driven approaches that improve the quality of care and facilitate practice transformation.
Thomas McCarrick, MD, MBI
Chief Population Health Officer
& Board Member
Dr. Thomas McCarrick has been practicing in geriatrics and family medicine for more than three decades. For the past 12 years, he has focused on population health strategies in primary care, growing his population health team from 1 to 7. Dr. McCarrick has built strong relationships with payers and other providers in New Jersey to promote value-based care initiatives. His goal is to always put the patient first and create programs that will benefit the overall health and wellness of the community.
Sarah Wistreich, DO
Board Member
Alexandra Raspanti
Clinical Integration Coordinator
Alexandra Raspanti helps primary care practices enrolled in our Clinically Integrated Network, the Vanguard Partner Network, improve care and outcomes and reduce costs. She ensures standards across group are communicated, implemented, followed, and updated regularly.
Alexandra also serves as a medical neighborhood liaison between the practice and specialists. She holds a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor’s in Health Science from Sacred Heart University.
Chris Cardace, PharmD, AE-C
Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist
Chris Cardace specializes in comprehensive medication management with a focus on improving the control of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol, and heart disease. Chris collaborates with practice leaders to enhance patient outcomes and increase medication adherence. He chose Vanguard due to its strong commitment to patient-centered, personalized, and compassionate care. Chris holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and completed his residency trainings at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and BronxCare Health System in the Bronx, NY.
Peter Rutherford
Chief Financial Officer
& Board Member
Peter Rutherford has more than 25 years of healthcare experience in finance, strategy, and administration. In his previous roles, he founded and was the CEO of an IPA-based global capitation risk contractor in New Jersey. Peter has extensive knowledge in the fields of medical billing and collections, medical records software implementation, actuarial consulting, and physician management. He enjoys working with organizations to develop strategies that deliver value and improve how practices manage their finances, review payer contracts, and reduce workflow inefficiencies in billing and collections.
Lisa Hall
Vice President of Human Resources
Lisa Hall has 20 years of progressive leadership expertise in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Her robust background in organizational development, strategic leadership coaching, training, and employee relations is pivotal to employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction, as well as culture transformation. She has led committees to transform an organization’s culture and develop creative ideas to get employees engaged. Her extensive success in talent acquisition has helped organizations source successful long-term candidates.
Melissa Mothersil
Transformation and Quality Improvement Manager
Melissa Mothersil has more than 10 years of experience working in quality improvement. She is responsible for implementing essential education, services, and tools to achieve the quality and cost goals of VMG value-based contracts. She has enhanced workflow redesign, EHR optimization, quality measure reporting support, and ACO implementation. She cultivates in-depth relationships with practices, including conducting regular status meetings to set strategic priorities, report results, monitor utilization and costs, and identify opportunities for growth and savings.
Feny Patel
Clinical Integration Coordinator
Feny Patel meets and onboards new practices in our CIN and provides continuing support as they navigate the landscape of value-based care. She also serves as a medical liaison between practices and specialists. She brings a passion for population health and the impact that it can have in building healthier communities. She holds a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Rutgers University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Monmouth University.
We are a team of primary care providers, administrators, and population health specialists sharing our innovative experience and expertise to inspire and transform the next generation of primary healthcare.
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Dr. Sarah Wistreich is the medical director of the primary care practice in Cranford. She has initiated population health initiatives such as transitions of care, reaching quality metrics, and completing annual wellness visits. In her previous role, she obtained the NCQA PCMH Level 3 accreditation for the practice for four years. Dr. Wistreich has increased patient access through adjustments to physicians’ schedules to grow profitability while maintaining a high quality of care for patients.
Daimion Haughton
Revenue Cycle Manager
Daimion Haughton brings more than 18 years of experience in the revenue cycle industry. His focus is on reducing inefficiencies in billing, data entry, charge correction, and payment entries by improving workflows and utilizing VHS technology platforms. In a single year, he has decreased our days in accounts receivable by 20% by developing customized, standardized aging reports and matrices. He also has shared important insurance updates during the public health emergency to primary care sites.