Management Team
Beverly White Freedman
President and CEO
Beverly White Freedman, founder of The Assist Group, is a former neonatal intensive care nurse and public health nurse. Freedman held several senior management positions in finance and sales management before establishing The Assist Group in 1999. In the mid-90s, she started the insurance brokerage, HealthAssist, with a focus on serving the reinsurance and the stop loss managed care arenas. Freedman graduated with honors from Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, and graduated with honors from USC School of Business with an MBA in Finance.
Lawrence Ast, CPA, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Lawrence Ast joined The Assist Group in January 2007. He was previously in practice with Wiebel, Hennels & Carufe, a public accounting firm. Ast also served as CFO and Controller of Vail, Colorado's second largest hotel and condo complex and as partner in a San Diego real estate group. During his lengthy career, he has successfully acquired, managed and sold transportation, manufacturing and development companies. As a certified public accountant, Ast handled M&A due diligence, audits and SEC filings, bankruptcy engagements, and litigation reviews. He served as Treasurer for three non-profit organizations and is a longstanding member of the American Institute of CPAs. Ast earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and an MBA in Public Accounting from Rutgers University.
Edward Karotkin, MD
Chief Medical Officer
In addition to serving as The Assist Group's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Edward Karotkin is the attending neonatologist for a 50+ bed NICU and Medical Director of the Neonatal- Perinatal Outreach Center of Virginia and North Carolina, as well as the Center's Director of Community Outreach Education. Dr. Karotkin, who joined The Assist Group in 2005, is also Professor of Pediatrics at the Eastern Virginia Medical School and The Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. As the volunteer Chief Medical Officer of Physicians For Peace, Dr. Karotkin evaluates proposals for medical missions throughout the world. Co-author of Assisted Ventilation of the Neonate, currently in its fourth printing, he is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is board certified in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.
Patrick Burcher, CPA
Executive Vice President, Business Development
When Patrick Burcher joined The Assist Group in 2002, he brought with him a diverse portfolio of healthcare and finance operations experience, including the oversight of utilization review, third party administration, provider contracting and IPA management entities. In addition, he has experience in mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning and analysis. Burcher served as the Western Region President of USI Administrators, where his responsibilities included operations, and business and product development. He was also a Senior Internal Auditor for the Manville Corporation and has public accounting experience performing operational and financial audits in both the private and public sectors. Burcher holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Colorado.
Rose Bemis-Heys, RNP
Executive Vice President, Strategic Development
A recognized expert in maternal child health, Rose Bemis Heys joined The Assist Group in January 2007. Most recently, Bemis Heys served as Vice President of Strategic Development for Matria Healthcare. She held senior management positions with RelayHealth, Tokos and CareLink, and has consulted to numerous health care companies. The co-author of a number of landmark papers regarding improving perinatal and neonatal care through disease management, she has worked with the Los Angeles Best Babies Network to improve birth outcomes and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the national high-risk pregnancy support network, Sidelines. Bemis Heys trained as a nurse practitioner in Women's and Perinatal Health at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and California State Long Beach and earned a nursing degree from Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles.
Beverly M. Skram
Executive Vice President, Sales
A seasoned sales professional and nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of experience, Beverly M. Skram joined The Assist Group in 2007 from Genzyme Genetics, where she was Regional Director, responsible for a multimillion dollar revenue line for reproductive, oncology and pathology genetic testing services in eight Central Region states. Previously, she was Reproductive Territory Manager for the same company. Skram has held key positions with Philips Medical Systems, Tyco/Nellcor Perinatal, Biex, Inc., Matria Healthcare, Inc. and TOKOS Medical Corporation. Co-author of a peer reviewed journal article supporting use of fFN for detection of pre-term labor. Skram received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Rochester and completed the Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.