Fenway Management Advisors, LLC, providing non-profit strategy execution advisory services.
FMA brings over 45 years of management, consulting and legal experience of John C.S. Kepner to the service of community-based non-profit organizations to develop and execute compelling strategies that help real people in real need. Mr. Kepner draws upon executive, consulting and legal best practices learned from a career of assistance to large and small non-profit health, social service and church organizations. He offers advisory services to social service, health care and religious organizations and life coaching to individuals on an affordable, discounted basis.
Click here for a series of short “Rounding Third” leadership essays by Mr. Kepner.
One Key Service: Mr. Kepner provides affordable life coaching for executive and middle management leaders, helping them develop self-executing life and professional plans using unique tools in a very efficient process. For more information, go to Advisory Services - Life Coaching Model.
Background & Experience
Mr. Kepner has had first-hand board, management, consulting and legal experience in a number of often inter-related, subject matter areas described under Services. See Career Profile for a summary of his experience and Representative Engagements for a detailed description of matters he has handled over his career. On occasions when appropriate, he is joined on client engagements by Network Colleagues with specialized, complimentary expertise. While Mr. Kepner has a legal background, he does not perform legal services through FMA.
Career Profile
In July 2015 John C.S. Kepner concluded his tenure as Senior Vice President of Holy Redeemer Health System, a diversified health care delivery system with programs in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While there, he had a variety of responsibilities including primary care physician network development, real estate management, oversight of an ambulatory surgery center, philanthropy and community benefit programs.
Prior to joining Holy Redeemer in 2008, John served as Chairman of The Leland Group, LLC, a firm which provided strategic, business development and capital formation services for emerging health care businesses using new technologies to improve quality and patient safety. He also engaged in health care consulting for health care organizations through Fenway Health Management Advisors, LLC.
Before consulting, John had a 30-year career in business and law. He served as a Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Network Development and in other executive positions at the University of Pennsylvania Health System from 1993 to 1999. While at Penn, he was the principal architect of the Health System’s network of physicians, community hospitals and subspecialty physician ventures.
During his years as a lawyer, John was a Partner, Executive Committee member and Chair of the Business and Health Law Departments at Saul Ewing, LLP where he practiced health law representing hospitals and physician groups.
John is a founder of Resilient Students Network, a collaboration of seven nonprofit community organizations in Montgomery County, PA, which assists under-resourced college students who are housing and food insecure. He is also co-founder and co-producer of the Race to Social Justice Podcast Series, which explores a wide range of racial and social justice issues with expert guests from across the country.
John has served in trustee and other board leadership capacities for several non-profit organizations including: Gwynedd Mercy University; Health Spark Foundation; Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative; Episcopal Community Services; Quality Insights of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Hospital; Clinical Care Associates of the University of Pennsylvania; and St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Whitemarsh.
Mr. Kepner is a graduate of Wesleyan University (1968, B.A.) and University of Pennsylvania Law School (1971, J.D.).
Mr. Kepner and his wife, Mimi, reside in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania.
Representative Engagements
Mr. Kepner has had diverse experience as:
Senior executive with a prominent academic health system and a community-based integrated health care delivery system;
Founder and president of a health care consulting and business value creation firm;
Business and health care department chair and executive committee member of a mid-Atlantic regional law firm (with practice concentration in health, securities and business transactions); and
Community leader of nonprofit health, social service, United Way and church organizations.
Representative examples of his experience follow.
Executive Management Experience
University of Pennsylvania Health System (1993-1999)
Clinical Care Associates: Formed and grew Primary Care Physician organization to approximately 275 physicians ($90M in revenue) in just three years.
Hospital Affiliations: Designed model for, and implemented, long-term, comprehensive contractual affiliations with several community hospitals under which the parties collaborated in third party risk contracting and clinical areas such as Primary Care, Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, Elder Care and Trauma.
Hospital Acquisitions: Played a significant role in structuring and consummating the transactions under which Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital and Phoenixville Hospital became UPHS corporate members, including the formation of related conversion foundations for the latter two.
Subspecialty Network Development and Physician Recruitments: Helped design and implement clinical relationships between UPHS and community-based subspecialists and played a major role in the recruitment of two substantial community Cardiology and Orthopedic groups to Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital, respectively.
Cardiac Surgery and Oncology Models: Developed first-of-kind models for UPHS to partner with community hospitals in Cardiac Surgery (not implemented by UPHS but later imitated by another health system) and Oncology (implemented with The Chester County Hospital, a Penn affiliate).
Penn Medicine @ Valley Forge: Researched, analyzed and developed proposal (since consummated) to utilize a substantial, years-old gift earmarked for a “Department of the University in Valley Forge” as a new state-of-the-art facility.
Provider-Owned HMO: Member of highly-strategic confidential group of academic medical centers and provider-owned HMO executives convened for the purpose of planning the formation and capitalization of a provider-sponsored and directed HMO to operate in Southeastern PA.
Holy Redeemer Health System (2008-2015)
Primary Care Strategy: Created primary care physician development strategy as outside advisor; then, as SVP, led project which engaged broad base of primary care physicians in further design and implementation of a physician network; identified and helped recruit physician leader to lead implementation (this initiative progressed to formation of a full-blown physician organization now engaged in sophisticated population management initiatives).
Real Estate Management: Structured and implemented collaborative approach with a real estate management company to outsource comprehensive management of the health system’s many owned and leased properties.
Specialty Hospital Investment: Helped structure and implement successful investment in orthopedic hospital with a high-profile physician organization, academic medical center and national management company, including development of a state-of-the-art free-standing subspecialty center in adjacent medical office building.
Home Care Affiliations: Structured and helped implement corporate affiliation under which HRHS became the sole corporate member of a non-profit home care/hospice organization, including creative trustee representation and funding covenants to ensure perpetuation of mission-driven, community-based programs.
Ambulatory Care: After participating in a study to support development of new ambulatory facilities at key locations in the service area, led implementation of a subsequent joint venture partnership and financing arrangements for one of the planned facilities.
Drueding Center: Executive oversight, philanthropy leadership and volunteer engagement for this community-based social service organization which renews lives and restores hope by working with homeless women and their children to create two generations of self-reliant adults. http://www.druedingcenter.org/DruedingCenter/DruedingCenter.aspx
Philanthropy: Created strategic plan for philanthropy office and then implemented the strategy as interim leader of the office until planned recruitment of successor was successful, including creation of new grateful patient, employee and other programs.
Law Firm Management (1971-1993)
Health Law Practice: Wrote and implemented highly successful business plan for creation of new health law practice, the first industry-specific practice of a major Philadelphia law firm, including first-ever newsletter, strategic collaborations with other professional firms and other marketing innovations. Managed representation of over 30 general and specialty community and teaching hospitals, numerous physician groups and other health care organizations. Practice concentration in hospital mergers and affiliations, development of new health care facilities and services, financial planning and funding strategies, joint ventures, physician/hospital relationships, provider-based managed care ventures, antitrust counseling, medical staff relations, fraud and abuse and business counseling of health care executives – Chair, Health Law Department
Business Law Practice: Planned and implemented proactive lateral partner recruitments, productivity enhancements, multi-office integration, new practice groups, new strategic alliances, departmental, practice group and individual attorney business planning and budgeting and other administrative efficiency initiatives to revitalize business practice of the firm; mentored succeeding chair who later became Managing Partner of the firm – Chair, Business Department
Law Firm Reform: Initiated and helped implement law firm reforms, including revamping summer associate recruiting program; new monthly partner distribution and automated billing, collection and receivables management processes; assisted in successful financial planning to increase profitability without compromising the firm’s ethic of fairness and collegiality during severe recession – Partner and Executive Committee Member
Advisory/Consulting Engagements (2000-2008)
Health System Strategic Plan Effectiveness: Analyzed health system’s strategic plan effectiveness, made recommendations for implementation of changes and returned after two years to evaluate effectiveness of implementation; assisted in formation of strategy to build new free-standing medical center in lieu of buying a competing hospital
Hospital Regional Alliance Strategy: Facilitated consideration by CEO’s of three independent community hospitals in analyzing the efficacy of forming an integrated delivery system
Clinical Program Development: Developed new and refreshed clinical program strategies for Primary Care, Orthopedics, Surgery and other modalities in collaboration with private practice physicians
Payor Strategy Development: In collaboration with another firm, played a major role in structuring new and refreshed provider-relations, medical management and company-wide strategies for multi-state Medicaid managed care organization
Management Organizational Effectiveness: In collaboration with another firm, worked with executive management of religious-affiliated senior living/social service organization to implement and market a structural approach to real-time strategy development and implementation
Marketing Strategy Development and Execution: In collaboration with other senior advisors, assisted several early stage companies to develop and implement strategies to market new clinical technologies and other innovative products and services to major health systems across the country including, in limited cases, assistance in raising equity capital to fund the ventures
Legal Needs Assessment: Analyzed and made recommendations regarding the need for $1 Billion multi-hospital system to hire inside general counsel
Health Care Legal Representations (1971-1993)
Corporate Reorganization: Design and implementation of community hospital reorganization including formation of fund-raising foundation and various subsidiaries, one of the first in Pennsylvania
Corporate Affiliation Agreement: First corporate affiliation agreement in Pennsylvania resulting in formation of parent holding company as sole member of previously independent hospitals and related foundations
Multi-Hospital/Radiology Group MRI Centers: Structured and implemented two of the first multi-hospital MRI joint ventures in Pennsylvania, in each case for three previously unaffiliated hospitals and multiple radiology groups
Hospital/Physician Joint Ventures: Structured and implemented numerous other hospital/physician joint ventures for medical office buildings, surgery centers, diagnostic imaging and other clinical modalities
AMC Health System Formation: Principal outside counsel to structure first academic medical center health system in Philadelphia, including formation of first tax-exempt academic foundation employing Primary Care Physicians
Volunteer Activities (1978-Present)
Community-based Programs: Played leadership role on behalf of social service organization in the development of new strategic plan and, pursuant to that plan, in overseeing divestiture of senior living and rehabilitation facilities to a better-positioned community hospital; later led effort to balance the organization’s budget under the new strategy and served as Board chair to help ensure effectiveness under a more focused social service model – Trustee & Board Chair, Episcopal Community Services
Regional Philanthropy: In leading the health care division of annual United Way Campaign for nearly a decade, consistently met or exceeded goal, successfully helped solicit several new participating hospitals, recruited and maintained active volunteer participation and implemented new efficiencies to economize on volunteer time to help ensure success – Member, Annual Campaign Cabinet, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
Community-based Philanthropy: Assisted major donor to structure, and then organized and administered, an endowment gift which makes seed money grants to fund start-up community-based programs; played leadership role in establishing independent endowment committee, seeding five new special endowments for outreach, youth, music and worship, adult spiritual formation and maintenance and establishing an ongoing planned giving program; played leadership roles in updating strategy to support and fund children & youth, hunger & housing and international outreach programs; structured and helped implement business plan for church-sponsored thrift store to increase revenue for community-based outreach-related purposes; established and funded a donor match program to fund an endowment to provide annual support for community outreach programs; structured and helped implement multi-year collaboration with Philadelphia social service agency to provide funding and volunteer coaching to help disadvantaged, inner city high school students and young adults with college selection and job entry– Rector’s Warden & Outreach Committee Member, St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh
Career Counseling & Placements: Actively assisted individuals of all ages, who were out-of-work, in job transitions and/or had high level of job dissatisfaction, to consider career perspectives and options – 50+ individuals assisted over past 20+ years; 10+ successful job placement referrals (including EVP, CFO and Executive Director levels)