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Bloomingdale CEO gives old practice new tech twist

Ronalyn Stephen, president and CEO of Physicians Home Care Services Plus, said she wanted to provide a more personal touch for patients — with house calls by medical doctors. And she’s taken that old-fashioned idea and added a new technology twist: Doctors equipped with iPads.

Physicians Home Care Services Plus, based in Bloomingdale, started with just one medical doctor in 2007. Today, the firm has 15 providers, including doctors and physician aides, as well as nine employees. The firm works with other at-home health care agencies to get referrals, and doctors visit eight to 12 patients per day, compared to receiving 50-70 in a clinical setting, she said.

In addition to converting to electronic medical records last year, all medical teams carry iPads to permit accurate maintenance of the patient’s medical records, which leads to more efficiency and better care, she said.

“Based on my knowledge and experience, I just wanted to jump off and do my own business and offer those at home, especially senior citizens, a more personalized experience,” she said.

But don’t expect the doctor to do all the same services at home that he or she would do in a medical office. The at-home visit includes assessment, education and preventive measures. They also provide follow-up care after a hospital discharge or surgery. For major issues, the patient still will need to go to a doctor’s office for care, she said.

“This will continue to be a growing industry as our population ages at an accelerated rate,” Stephen said. “Hospital stays are becoming shorter, and larger numbers of people are being treated on an outpatient basis. This becomes an issue among the elderly because many of them are homebound. When they cannot easily visit a doctor for follow-up care, an elderly patient often simply goes without care at all.”

Stephen, who was born and raised in San Fernando City, La Union, in the Philippines, arrived in Addison in 2002 and began to work at a health care agency. While her experience there led her to later form her own health care agency, she also has another company she aims to start. But it’s in a different line altogether — fashion.

She considers herself a so-called fashionista, and loves clothes. But so far, it’s just in the planning stage, she said.

“I’m always doing charities or going to events,” she said. “So I’ve been working on my own line of clothing.”

Keynoter a new author

Thomas Walter, CEO of Elk Grove Village-based Tasty Catering, will be the keynote speaker at a symposium hosted by the Center for Companies That Care at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago July 12. Walter is also co-author of the soon-to-be-released book, “It’s My Company Too! How Entangled Companies Move Beyond Employee Engagement for Remarkable Results.” All in the family, still

Hunter Automated Machinery President Bill Hunter recently completed an asset buyout of the Schaumburg company and all its foreign subsidiaries. Terms of the buyout were not announced. He bought the assets of the company held by his three sisters, Dianne, Linda and Heather. All were the children of Al Hunter, the late founder of the company that began building the automatic matchplate molding machine he invented in 1964. Hunter machines and mold handling lines are operating in foundries worldwide. It operates plants in the U.S., Brazil and China. The company has European headquarters in Italy and regional offices in India.

Offering a new job

Julie Mayer, director of community outreach and government relations at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington said Operation Click is providing about $60,000 over two years to hire a part-time program coordinator. This new position will assist the president and board of directors of Operation Click with the coordination and implementation of various programs. Operation Click aims to reduce teen fatalities and injuries from motor vehicle crashes by developing safe driving habits through education. Sean McGrath, a Crystal Lake police officer and now president of Operation Click, started the local program in 1998.

FastTrack

James E. Schultz of Vernon Hills was named the Materials Handling and Management Society Chicagoland Chapter’s Man of the Year at an awards banquet following the chapter’s annual golf outing at the Highlands of Elgin Golf Course. Schultz was honored for his longtime service to the chapter and the materials handling industry. He was one of the original members of the executive team involved in the rebirth of the organization’s Chicago area chapter in the mid-1990s, after which he served as the chapter’s president for seven years.

Glencoe resident Michael Alter, president and CEO of Glenview-based SurePayroll, will speak at Tory Johnson’s Spark & Hustle Conference for small businesses on July 24 in Chicago. ... Mary Zienty is the new employment coordinator for Bridge Communities and works with Bridge’s Employment Director Patty Kelly to help their 100-plus clients find jobs and increase their earnings at their current jobs. ... Carol Stream resident Vatsal Desai is the new creative director and property associate at Northbrook-based Pine Tree Commercial Realty.

Ashley DeVecht has joined Rolling Meadows-based Metals Service Center Institute as director of communications. The organization also is making other staff changes. Rose Manfredini will remain vice president of membership and events. Transitioning her Carbon Bar Division responsibilities to DeVecht will enable Manfredini to focus on two new major annual events: the group’s Safety Conference and a Copper and Brass Conference. Also, Vice President of Marketing and Growth Ann D’Orazio will be the staff liaison for the new Copper and Brass Products Division. D’Orazio will spearhead the recruitment for this new division.

Des Plaines Office Equipment President Chip Miceli of Palatine has been elected as president of the Select Dealer Group, a national trade organization of industry peers whose membership draws from leading office product/service dealers nationwide. ... Wireless industry veterans Robert Condon and Norman Fekrat have been appointed to the advisory board committee for Schaumburg-based Lemko Corp. ... Winfield resident David McElligot and Naperville residents Raghu Pulluru and Irina Domjan have joined the staff of DuPage Medical Group, a multi-specialty physician group in Downers Grove.

And condolences to the family and colleagues of Naperville-based Tellabs Inc. CEO Rob Pullen, who passed away last week after surgery for colon cancer. Services and burial were held July 9.

ŸThere’s more to business than just the bottom line. We want to tell you about the people that make business work. Send news about people in business to akukec@dailyherald.com. Follow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as @AMKukec on Twitter.

James E. Schultz
Michael Alter
David McElligot
Irina Domjan
Rob Pullen
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