GlassRatner Expands Healthcare Practice with Three New Professionals


LOS ANGELES, April 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GlassRatner Advisory & Capital Group, LLC, a specialty financial advisory services firm and wholly-owned subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: RILY), today announced the addition of Melissa Scott, Jeannie O’Donnell and Mardelle Klaus to the firm.

Ms. Scott, Ms. O’Donnell, and Ms. Klaus bring a wealth of experience and expertise in the healthcare industry and will be responsible for expanding the firm’s core service offerings, Bankruptcy & Restructuring and Forensic Accounting & Litigation Support, in healthcare related transactions. They are based in the firm’s Dallas, TX office, serving clients across the U.S.

“The healthcare industry represents 20 percent of the U.S. GDP and has become one our leading industry segments,” said Ian Ratner, Co-Founder and CEO of GlassRatner. “I anticipate the addition of Melissa and her team will contribute to our growth and significantly enhance our service offerings, while fitting right in with a deeply collaborative and cooperative culture our firm strives for daily.”

GlassRatner and its professionals have participated in multiple healthcare-focused Bankruptcy & Restructuring cases in recent years, including acting as Chapter 11 Trustee and Financial Advisor to Hutcheson Medical Center, serving as Chief Restructuring Officer to Campbellton-Graceville Hospital, Receiver of Alternative Healthcare, Receiver of Metropolitan Hospice, Financial Advisor to Curae Health, Chief Strategy Officer to a major Skilled Nursing Facility REIT, Financial Advisor to the Official Creditors Committees in Neighbors Health and Pioneer Health Services, and Chief Restructuring Officer of The Treatment Center of the Palm Beaches. In addition, a member of the firm was named Chapter 11 Trustee and Financial Advisor to Alliance Healthcare, a transaction which was recently recognized in the 13th Annual Turnaround Awards from The M&A Advisor.

GlassRatner’s Forensic & Litigation support team has been involved in hundreds of healthcare-related matters, including billing and collection disputes, medical practice valuation disputes, medical practice roll up investigations, insurance network disputes, healthcare fraud and abuse cases, expert testimony, internal investigations into revenue recognition frauds, and kickback schemes. In addition, the firm has specific experts that lead Independent Review Organization matters.

Ms. Scott joins as Senior Managing Director and brings more than 21 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Prior to joining GlassRatner, she served as Director of a healthcare regulatory consulting group. In addition to her extensive background providing advisory services, she has held operational roles including Director of Billing and Payor Management for St. Luke’s Health System, and served as Director of Revenue Cycle for a large multi-specialty clinic, as well as Revenue Cycle Manager for the Department of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. Ms. Scott’s specialties include forensic analytics, litigation support, internal audit and enterprise risk management, compliance programs, and revenue cycle, as well as commercial and government payer claim audits and focus arrangement reviews. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Linfield College and holds a board certification in Healthcare Compliance and certification as a Professional Services Coder.

Ms. O’Donnell joins as Senior Manager and brings more than 16 years of healthcare internal audit, management, and investigative experience. Prior to joining GlassRatner, she served as Lead Auditor in multiple Independent Review Organization reviews and specialized in Focus Arrangements. Previously, Ms. O’Donnell served as an information systems auditor in a large healthcare system and was a Fiscal, Compliance and IT Auditor for a Regional Support Network, as well as an Audit Manager for an audit network. Throughout her career, Ms. O’Donnell has conducted various compliance and internal control reviews and operational, financial, compliance and information system audits for health plans, hospitals, healthcare management organizations and attorneys. She also specializes in mock Office of Civil Rights (OCR) audits for HIPAA Privacy and Security. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Sociology from Wilkes University and added a Major in Accounting from Kings College. Ms. O’Donnell is credentialed as a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Professional Coder and Certified in Healthcare Compliance.

Ms. Klaus joins as Senior Associate and brings 14 years of experience in auditing, regulatory compliance and healthcare operations. Prior to joining GlassRatner, Ms. Klaus served as an expert providing litigation support on behalf of a physician practice facing criminal indictment. Previously, Ms. Klaus has served as interim Manager of Compliance and Coding Audit for one of the nation's largest multi-institutional Catholic healthcare delivery systems and has conducted retrospective payment audits on behalf of special investigation units for some of the nation’s largest payers. Her areas of expertise include working alongside providers, payers and law firms with proficiency in Medicare, Medicaid and commercial lines of business. Ms. Klaus currently studies Health Information Management at Western Governor’s University and will receive a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and credentials as a Registered Health Information Administrator. She is a Certified Coding Specialist, Certified Professional Coder, Board Certified in Healthcare Compliance and holds a project management credential.

To learn more about GlassRatner, visit www.glassratner.com.

About GlassRatner
GlassRatner, a B. Riley Financial company, is a national specialty financial advisory services firm providing solutions to complex business problems and Board level agenda items. The firm applies a unique mix of skill sets and experience to address matters of the utmost importance to an enterprise such as managing through a business crisis or bankruptcy, pursuing a fraud investigation or corporate litigation, planning & executing a major acquisition or divestiture, unraveling a challenging real estate issue and other top level non-typical business challenges. GlassRatner can also offer clients end-to-end services at any stage during the business life cycle through B. Riley Financial. The combination of proven operating and financial expertise, cross-platform resources, a hands-on approach and an absolute focus on assignment execution makes GlassRatner a unique and valuable ally for its clients and partners.

About B. Riley Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: RILY)
B. Riley Financial, through its subsidiaries, provides collaborative financial services and solutions tailored to fit the capital raising and financial advisory needs of public and private companies and high net worth individuals. The company operates through several wholly-owned subsidiaries, including B. Riley FBR, a full-service investment bank and institutional brokerage; Great American Group, a leading provider of asset disposition, appraisal, corporate advisory and valuation services; GlassRatner, a specialty financial advisory services and consulting firm; B. Riley Wealth Management, B. Riley Asset Management and B. Riley Alternatives, which offer investment management to institutional and high net worth investors; Great American Capital Partners, which originates and underwrites senior secured loans for asset-rich companies; and B. Riley Principal Investments, which invests in or acquires companies and assets with attractive return profiles.

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