WORCESTER, MASS., November 30, 2015 –  Reliant Medical Group today announces the appointment of Tarek Elsawy, M.D., as the organization’s President and CEO. Expected to start his new role in early 2016, Dr. Elsawy will join the longstanding medical group from Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, where he currently serves as that organization’s Vice President of Regional Medical Operations & Affairs.  Leon Josephs, M.D., who has been serving as Reliant’s Acting CEO since January 2015, plans to return full-time to his surgical practice at Reliant.

“We are delighted that Dr. Elsawy will be joining Reliant Medical Group,” says Seema Naravane, M.D., Reliant Medical Group’s Board Chair.  “The depth of his experience as both a physician and a physician leader of one of the most well-respected healthcare organizations in the world will be a huge asset to our organization as we continue to navigate the rapidly changing tides in today’s healthcare landscape.”

Currently, Dr. Elsawy is Cleveland Clinic’s Vice President of Regional Medical Operations & Affairs. Encompassed in this role is direct responsibility for eighteen family health centers, as well as a leadership role in the operation of eight hospitals, representing 12,000 employees and $2.9 billion in revenue. Prior to this position, he launched and led operations for one of the nation’s largest clinical integration programs, the Cleveland Clinic Quality Alliance (CCQA), and served as its Chief Medical Officer for three years.  In building the CCQA, Dr. Elsawy fostered alignment among employed and independent physicians, as well as hospital operations, to achieve improved patient outcomes and shared financial incentives.  He also directed the assessment and implementation of the first out-of-market Quality Alliance partnership.

During his time at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Elsawy has spent a great deal of time working on the clinical transformation of the care delivery system in both the inpatient and outpatient arenas, including seeking ways to decrease length of stay, while enhancing care coordination, patient safety, and medical outcomes. Dr. Elsawy also served as Vice President and Medical Director for a 160-physician, multi-specialty group while at Cleveland Clinic.

Prior to embarking on his executive career, Dr. Elsawy spent 10 years in private practice.  He received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.  His internship and residency were completed at the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine, and he engaged in a research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.

“While we look forward to the arrival of Dr. Elsawy, we recognize and are thankful to Dr. Josephs for the incredible job he did for us as Acting CEO,” adds Dr. Naravane.  “He has shown remarkable dedication to our patients, to our employees, and to the ongoing success of our medical group.  We are also grateful that he will be returning to his surgical practice at Reliant Medical Group.”