SharedClarity Hires Noted Orthopedic Surgeon as Vice President of Clinical Outcomes

Dr. Alex McLaren, longtime clinician, educator and researcher,
will oversee clinical reviews

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SharedClarity has hired Dr. Alex McLaren, a noted and respected
orthopedic surgeon, professor and researcher, as Vice President of
Clinical Outcomes, a critical senior-level position for the company.

McLaren, who has more than 30 years of experience in orthopedic surgery,
will oversee all clinical review efforts, the foundation of
SharedClarity’s mission. McLaren will work closely with the company’s
member-owners and their physicians, especially those who participate in
the clinical review councils.

SharedClarity conducts independent clinical reviews to identify
effective medical devices and then negotiates preferred pricing of those
products for its member-owners. The company’s overarching goal is to
promote positive patient outcomes, one benefit of which is reduce
readmissions, an ever-increasing concern for the health care industry
from health system executives and surgeons to employers and insurers.

“Dr. McLaren has decades of experience in orthopedic surgery, clinical,
education and research, and is an excellent fit for SharedClarity and
our mission,” said SharedClarity President Mark West. “The company, our
member-owners and their physicians are excited about having Dr. McLaren
on board and overseeing all clinical review efforts.”

McLaren was most recently Program Director of the University of Arizona,
College of Medicine–Phoenix, Residency Program in Orthopaedic Surgery,
serving in the position since 2006. McLaren oversaw the intense
residency program that accepts only four aspiring orthopaedic surgeons
from more than 500 applicants each year.

“Orthopaedics is a highly sought after and highly competitive
specialty,” said McLaren, who moved from his native Canada to Phoenix in
1990 to pursue his academic and clinical interests in orthopedic
infections, revision arthroplasty and complex musculoskeletal trauma.

McLaren is the former Director of Orthopaedic Education for Banner Good
Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix. He was the Program Director of the
Phoenix Orthopedic Residency Program at Maricopa Medical Center between
1998 and 2000. He has also been in private practice during his career in
Phoenix, focusing mainly on extensive revision surgeries needed for
failed or infected hip and knee replacements and complex fractures.

McLaren’s decades of connections and experience will benefit
SharedClarity, its member-owners—Advocate Health Care, Baylor, Scott &
White Health, Dignity Health, McLaren Health Care and UnitedHealthcare,
a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH company)—as well as surgeons and, most
of all, patients.

The health care industry “needs organizations like SharedClarity” that
use data to choose effective devices and contract market-leading prices
with suppliers on behalf of its member-owners, McLaren said.

“Most surgeons make a concerted effort to choose the best implant for
each patient’s needs,” he said. “An insightful compilation of the
available evidence will be very helpful to identify implants with
desirable performance characteristics.”

McLaren adds that change is difficult, especially when surgeons are
comfortable inserting devices they are familiar with, whether it’s hip
or knee replacements, pacemakers or stents.

McLaren graduated from Queen’s University School of Medicine, Kingston,
Ontario, Canada, in 1977. He completed his orthopedic residency at the
University of Western Ontario in 1982 and a fellowship in orthopaedic
research at the University of Southern California in 1983. He is
involved in the MusculoSkeletal Infection Society (MSIS) and continues
to investigate and publish studies on local delivery of antimicrobials.

SharedClarity has completed clinical reviews and awarded contracts for
cardiac rhythm management (pacemakers and defibrillators), bare metal
and drug-eluting cardiac stents, and peripheral stents. The company,
which is looking to add four member-owners, will soon issue contracts
for surgical mesh used in breast reconstruction and hernia repairs.

About SharedClarity

SharedClarity is a unique joint venture between health care systems and
UnitedHealthcare that uses clinical data to study the effectiveness of
high-impact medical products. SharedClarity uses the results of the
studies to select effective medical devices for patients and negotiate
market-leading purchasing agreements with manufacturers. For more
information, please visit www.SharedClarity.net.

Contacts

for SharedClarity
Ron Trujillo, 559-289-8797 (cell)
ron@halldinpr.com