Birch joins FHC as Richmond Medical Group’s administrative director
| Date Posted: 1/14/2010
Birch joins FHC as Richmond Medical Group’s administrative director
January 14, 2010
ROCKINGHAM – Walter Birch brings 10 years of group practice management experience to his new position with FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
 |
|
Walter Birch |
As administrative director of FirstHealth Richmond Medical Group, Birch is responsible for the financial and operational performance of four FirstHealth-associated physician practices in Richmond County: Richmond Family Medicine, Richmond Internal Medicine, Mid-Carolinas Surgical Associates and Richmond Women’s Center.
“I was brought in to leave the practice of medicine to the physicians,” Birch says. “We provide them with support for anything they need except in the examination room. That is the world of the patient care professional.”
A native of Arlington, Va., Birch received his bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Virginia. Before joining FirstHealth late last fall, he was employed as executive director for the Urology Center of Florida. He previously worked with Coastal Physician Group in Durham and with Vivra Inc and The Greater Florida Heart Group, both located in Florida.
Birch’s FirstHealth office is located in the administrative area of Richmond Memorial Hospital, where he reports directly to RMH President John Jackson.
“As we took on the operational responsibility for more and more physician practices in Richmond County, we felt the need for the expertise that could be provided only by a highly seasoned practice manager,” Jackson says. “We have found that person in Walter Birch, who brings an unusual combination of training, experience and understanding to this new position. We are pleased to have him join FirstHealth, and we welcome him to our professional community.”
Birch, who assumed his position on Nov. 30, describes the alignment of physician practices to large health care organizations such as FirstHealth of the Carolinas as “the wave of the future.”
“It goes to the heart of what health care reform should be—unified care in which all providers work together, whether hospitals, doctors, laboratories, imaging, etc.,” he says. “It allows for better coordination of care as well as more efficient care.”
For assistance with issues related to the services provided by the physician practices that are part of FirstHealth Richmond Medical Group, contact Walter Birch at (910) 417-3702.
FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital is a division of FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.
