Aug 25, 2015 Mike Kasper is CEO of DuPage Medical Group, the largest independent physicians group in Chicago. DMG recently announced a partnership with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois that will enable its 425 physicians to access BCBSIL data on the cost and quality of services patients receive when they receive care outside of the group. Jul 07, 2020 DuPage Medical Group has named a new CEO, about 14 months after its former leader died by suicide. DuPage, which is the largest independent doctors’ group in Illinois, announced Steve Nelson as.

Michael A. Kasper

Millikin major: Psychology

Other degrees:
- Master’s degree in health administration from Indiana University, 1997.

Current employment: Chief executive officer for DuPage Medical Group, a health services organization with nearly 600 doctors, more than 3000 employees and $750 million in revenue.

Why did you choose MU?
Coach Poelker recruited me to play football, and when I visited the campus I knew it was the right place for me.

What activities did you participate in as a student at MU?

Wrestling (two-time academic All-American)
Football (lettered)
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

What are some of your accomplishments since graduating from Millikin?

I have been married to my wife, Nikki, for 19 years, and we have two kids, Amelia, 10, and Cash, 7.
I have successfully ran five companies since graduating, and have been part of the philanthropic community, sitting on boards for the American Heart Association and CEOs against Cancer.
I chaired the Chicago Heart Ball twice, raising nearly $5 million for the fight against heart disease.

When not supporting the Big Blue, what is your favorite thing to do?
Spending time with my family. We love to travel, and enjoy many live music events like JazzFest in New Orleans, Lollapalooza, and all the great music festivals in Chicago.

Who is your most memorable MU professor or staff member and why?
Dr. Graham Provan and Dr. James St. James. Dr. Provan introduced me to history with great passion and it sparked a lifelong interest. He was the best lecturer I have ever heard, and I thank him for his energy and bringing history to life for his students. As a psychology major I had many classes with Dr. St. James; in fact one class was just one other student and me. Dr. St. James helped to train me in the world of academic research. That part of my education proved to be critical as I went on to do health services research and I have always kept the “scientific approach” at the core of how I attack and solve problems.

What is your most memorable MU experience?
Graduation. I was the first in my family to graduate from college and my entire extended family attended. I also remember vividly looking at all my friends and thinking what they might all do 20 years after college. I have been fortunate enough to have maintained those relationships over the years; all of them are successful in fields of business, medicine, technology. It confirms Millikin kept its promise to us and paved the way for our success.

What is one concept you learned at Millikin that you use regularly?
Study! My first semester GPA was 1.9. I knew to achieve my goals I needed to be a more dedicated student. I ended up graduating with a GPA above 3.5. Millikin allowed me to fail and then helped me achieve success. I felt the university, the staff and my friends created an environment that allowed me to succeed.

Mike Kasper Dmg Ceo Wife And Children

What advice do you give to current Millikin students about preparing for life after graduation?

Be yourself. Many feel they need to be someone different to succeed. The reality is being true to yourself will be the most critical factor in success and happiness.
Be flexible. Don’t be rigid in your vision for your career. Careers are not linear; the more diverse your experience, the better prepared you will be for executive management.
Money should never be the top factor in choosing a job, especially early in your career. The top 5 factors that will help grow your career are:
- Who will you be working for? Will they mentor you and take an interest in your growth?
- What will you be doing? Will you be developing skills and experiences that will help you in the future?
- Are you passionate about the work? If you are not energized about the work you are doing, the work product will not be your best and you risk failing.
- Move around. Each market in the country has unique characteristics. Experiencing different places helps you grow both personally and professionally.
- HAVE FUN. Life will present its challenges, finding time to do the things you enjoy with the people you love will ultimately define your happiness.

Anything else you would like to share with the Millikin community?
My daughter, Amelia, has a genetic disorder Loews-Dietz Syndrome. It is a connective tissue disorder that can be deadly if not diagnosed early. Nikki and I have dedicated our life to raising awareness of all connective tissue disorders.

Mike Kasper is CEO of DuPage Medical Group, the largest independent physicians group in Chicago. DMG recently announced a partnership with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois that will enable its 425 physicians to access BCBSIL data on the cost and quality of services patients receive when they receive care outside of the group. In addition to slicing and dicing BCBSIL data, DMG is preparing to roll out ICD-10 and integrate the IT systems of Meridian Medical Associates, a multispecialty medical practice with seven locations in Illinois that it will formally acquire on October 1. The group is also busy working on offering telemedicine visits to its pediatric patients this fall. The Epic shop has been offering video visits to its adult patients through MyChart since February 2015.

What will the BCBSIL agreement mean to DMG physicians? What impact will the data arrangement have on patient care?
The agreement with BCBSIL is unique in that for the first time, a payer and provider will collaborate and share data to ensure our physicians are armed with information on what sites of service offer the best quality, outcomes, and safety for patients. BCBSIL has a claims view of services, which really helps define performance at a high level, while the EHR view of the patient provides a more complete clinical view patient by patient. Melding these two perspectives together will provide a complete view for our doctors to make the best decisions for patients at the point of service. This value-based approach will also help guide patients to safe, convenient, accessible sites for services.

How will access to this data impact DMG’s bottom line? Do you expect to see an uptick in incentive payments?
The collaboration will help DMG doctors provide the right service at the right time in the right place. This will improve quality and decrease cost of care; as improvement is demonstrated there is an opportunity for DMG to be recognized financially.

How does DMG receive the data, and how often is it received/updated?
There will be some raw exchange of data, but the goal is to have each organization use their unique data set to come up with actionable items based on the analysis each of us perform.

I know you’re only a few weeks in, but have you already seen any type of claims data that has surprised you?
We have started to share information, and the most interesting/important insight is that lower unit-cost pricing at the facility level does not equal a lower overall cost of care. Once you start to factor in avoidable complications, like 30-day readmissions for the same diagnosis, or infection rates, unit-cost pricing becomes less important. Those facilities that provide the highest quality and safety become the most cost effective, even if they are not the lowest unit-cost option.

How will DMG incorporate technology to interpret and act upon the data?
DMG will use analytics and other dashboard-type tools to help us visualize the data and put it to use in a meaningful way to positively improve the patient experience.

What goals do you have for this new arrangement? Any advice to share with other independent physician groups who may be looking at the same type of partners