Our Leadership Team
Healthcare Administrative Partners was founded by a team of professionals with extensive experience in practice management, medical billing systems and medical office operations. Each member of our executive team has more than twenty years of industry experience in helping physician groups obtain and exceed their practice goals.
Brian Effron
CEO
Brian Effron is the founder and CEO of HAP. His strategic leadership has propelled HAP to an industry-leading position in the practice and revenue cycle management services arena.
Prior to founding HAP, Mr. Effron spent 20 years as a business consultant to physician practices and hospitals at Medaphis Physician Services Corporation (formerly Professional Management Services) and ARPUS Incorporated. The innovative solutions to complex billing and corporate performance management issues developed under his watch culminated in his appointment to President of both organizations. Notwithstanding his success, Mr. Effron perceived an opportunity to advance provider billing and practice management to a higher level, and he established Healthcare Administrative Partners in 1995. Today, HAP’s client base includes more than seventy physician practices and hospitals, and it has an unparalleled record of customer satisfaction.
Mr. Effron serves on the Board of Directors of various charities and medical institutions. He has lectured extensively on topics such as revenue cycle management and provider reimbursement. He is also a founding member of the Healthcare Billing and Management Association.
Joseph Wilson, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Joe Wilson joined HAP as Chief Financial Officer in 2006. He is responsible for the planning, direction, and control of the company’s financial and human resources plans, practices, and policies.
Mr. Wilson brings more than 25 years of experience to HAP, including several past positions as Chief Financial Officer and COO. Key areas of expertise include financial planning & analysis, mergers and acquisitions, operations management, corporate taxation, Sarbanes Oxley compliance, risk management, and employee benefits administration. With a career of practical CFO and COO experience, Mr. Wilson is acutely aware of all facets of financial performance management.
Mr. Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Accounting from LaSalle University.
Rebecca Farrington
Chief Revenue Officer
Rebecca Farrington is the Chief Revenue Officer for Healthcare Administrative Partners. She brings with her over 20 years of experience in healthcare sales and management, focusing on hospital-based and physician revenue cycle management. She excels at strategic selling and forming strong partnerships with C-level executives and independent group leadership.
Ms. Farrington previously spent 13 years at McKesson (now Change Healthcare) as the Executive Director of Business Performance Services. During her tenure, she was responsible for over $120 million in contract revenue. She has also held positions in sales, client management and operations at Web MD, and consulted for Pfizer on the Pfizer/IBM and Microsoft joint healthcare venture.
Ms. Farrington is a member of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA).
Susan Bailie
Senior Vice President, Revenue Cycle Management
Susan Bailie joined HAP in 1999, launching the company’s Portsmouth, NH division. She is currently responsible for enabling operational excellence across the organization and building capabilities to support future growth. She is also responsible for developing and maintaining the internal control system that enables HAP to monitor and minimize error rates while maximizing productivity. Ms. Bailie excels at maintaining efficient team structure and performance through analytics, processes, and formulation of extensive training and incentive plans. She has deep professional expertise in the standardization and implementation of process efficiencies involving new technology. Her leadership enabled the team at HAP to earn one of the first-ever GE Centricity Productivity Awards for proven innovation in process improvement.
Ms. Bailie holds a B.S. in business management and accounting from Southern NH University.
JoAnne Dougherty
Senior Vice President, Client Services
JoAnne Dougherty has been with HAP since its inception in 1995. She currently directs key client services related to practice and financial management. Her leadership skills and knowledge base have been instrumental in HAP’s rapid growth and consistently high customer satisfaction scores.
Ms. Dougherty has consulted in the practice management field for more than three decades. Her experience extends to radiology and pathology, as well as numerous other physician specialties and hospital-based models. Initially, at HAP, she oversaw both Practice Management and Operations. As the company has expanded, she has redirected her focus to business development, practice management, and consulting.
Ms. Dougherty has also served in senior positions at Medaphis Physician Services (formerly Professional Management Services) and MDS. In these roles, she was responsible for contract negotiations, budgeting, and financial planning, which resulted in vastly improved financial “health” for the client practices.
Sandy Coffta
Vice President, Client Services
Sandy Coffta joined HAP in 2000. In her current role as Vice President of Client Services, Sandy oversees the team responsible for achieving and maintaining the company’s consistently high retention and referral rates. Ms. Coffta has over 17 years of experience in client relationship management, including reimbursement analysis, workflow optimization, and compliance education. She specializes in business intelligence and reporting development, she is a subject matter expert in radiology practice billing, and she has deep expertise in resolving payer disputes and contract issues.
Ms. Coffta holds an M.A. in French Language and Literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
John Thomas
Senior Consultant
John Thomas joined HAP as Senior Consultant in 2001. In this role, he oversees practice management and consulting services to HAP clients. Mr. Thomas’ breadth of expertise includes hospitals, medical schools, office-based specialties, managed care networks, and public health.
During his 25 years in healthcare, Mr. Thomas has been engaged to analyze and resolve business development scenarios encompassing practice formation, contract negotiations, strategic planning, and reimbursement maximization. Numerous practices, including emergency medicine, anesthesia, and pathology, have drawn on his expertise to perform service and revenue cycle management reviews. Prior to joining HAP, Mr. Thomas served as Vice President of PractiCare and Sr. Consultant at Per Se Technologies. As sole principal of Professional Medical Management, he focused on the development and management of physician networks.
Mr. Thomas has lectured at numerous university medical schools, including Harvard University and Georgetown University. He has published extensively in the fields of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging. He is a graduate of Temple University with a B.S. in Business Management and Finance.