Richard L. Lungen - Chief Executive Officer
Charles J. Falcone - Chief Operating Officer
Matthew J. Claus - Vice President of Business Development
Barbara Grundy Evans - Vice President of Operations

Richard L. Lungen
Chief Executive Officer

Richard is one of the founding partners and co-creators of National Health Options (NHO).  After consulting healthcare experts (public and private), business owners, associations, union representatives and staffing companies across the US, NHO was created to be a membership based, healthcare assistance program for the uninsured and underinsured, in response to the growing need for a comprehensive solution to high quality and affordable healthcare.
 
Richard is also the founder of The Lungen Group, which he created following 16 years of leadership experience within the managed care, life & health insurance and overall healthcare service industries, as a means to deliver best-practice solutions from leading service companies to healthcare payers. Since founding the Lungen Group, the firm has experienced year after year growth in sales, referencable clients and Portfolio Companies and has developed an expanded team of healthcare professionals.

Prior to founding The Lungen Group in 2007 and the creation of National Health Options, Richard was senior vice president of business development at HealthPlan Services, a leading business process outsourcing firm servicing health plans, associations and Taft Hartley plans, where he was responsible for record sales. Between 2001 and 2005, Richard held sales and business development leadership positions with MedAvant Healthcare Solutions (previously ProxyMed, PILL: NASDAQ). In this capacity, he was responsible for payer facing solutions related to preferred provider organization (PPO) access, PPO business process outsourcing (BPO), strategic relationships, and EDI clearinghouse services.

From 1998 to 2001, Richard was vice president of sales for PlanVista Solutions where he worked with the industry's premier payers and TPAs, and was responsible for top revenue production in each year. In 1993, Richard was an original employee at the launch of National Preferred Provider Network (NPPN), one of the nations largest PPOs, and worked with them through 1998 when the company was sold to HealthPlan Services. At NPPN, Richard was responsible for virtually all original and subsequent large payer sales, strategies and many PPO relationships. Between 1992 and 1993, Richard was with Medical Administrators, a full service insurance agency and TPA, which handled small group and individual insurance sales as well as Self-Insured employers.

Richard's tactical and leadership roles have allowed him to develop deep experience and tenured market knowledge related to healthcare payer sales and strategies, service vendors, PPOs, BPO and provider contracting. This knowledge and firsthand experience drives insight and commitment that results in National Health Options, the nation’s first membership-based, healthcare assistance program designed to offer a comprehensive, retail solution offering multiple options for accessing high quality, affordable healthcare products and services.

Charles J. Falcone
Chief Operating Officer

Charlie is a founding partner and co-creator of National Health Options (NHO).  He brings more than twenty years of experience in managed care, technology, healthcare delivery, pharmaceutical management, and medical device development and distribution to his role as senior healthcare executive and oversight of the NHO assemblage of affordable healthcare solutions.

In April, 2009 Charlie joined The Lungen Group as a Partner.  The Lungen Group is a strategic and M&A advisory and business development firm that has clients across a broad range of sectors in the healthcare industry. 

From 2000 until 2009, Charlie led Devon Health Services, a preferred provider organization (PPO) and national healthcare cost containment company.  He held the title of president from 2004-2009 and the titles of executive vice president and chief operating officer from 2000-2004.  Under Charlie’s leadership, Devon experienced double digit revenue and income growth and established itself as a national presence in the healthcare marketplace. 

While at Devon, Charlie created and managed strategic alliances with some of the largest payers, providers and vendors in the industry.  His experience includes the development and management of fee-for-service and risk bearing networks, marketing, sales, care management and operations for insured individual, small and large group plans; self-funded employer and Taft Hartley plans; workers’ compensation and motor vehicle programs; and various government payer plans.

Charlie’s experience at Devon Health included the development of several start-up entities in the healthcare industry including Supply Marketing, a “point of care” marketing and communications company and Devon Medical, a medical device manufacturing and sourcing company.  Charlie held the title of president for both entities and was instrumental in building and developing these companies.

Prior to 2000, Charlie held various positions at Americare Health Services including vice president of sales and vice president of network development.  During that time, Charlie helped to create and develop some of the first risk bearing provider sponsored organizations (PSO) in the northeastern United States.

Charlie is a previous member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations, an industry advocacy association; a member of the Board of Directors of GeneSyn IP Ventures, a venture fund and company catalyst organization; a past member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO); and a member of the Advisory Committee for several start-up and established entities in the healthcare technology and service industries.  In 2004, Charlie received the prestigious “40 under Forty” award from the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Matthew J. Claus
Vice President of Business Development

Matt is a senior business executive with significant experience in mergers and acquisitions, health care administration and business development practices.  Matt’s strategic business development expertise and business acumen is key to identifying optimal management systems and practices for revenue generation, profit margin expansion and value proposition enhancement.

Matt brings to NHO the ability to anticipate, prepare and deploy business development resource within the health care/employee benefit reform framework. While this framework is currently taking shape, it is clear that business relationships, product positioning and the overall value proposition premises will require significant retooling. Matt’s expertise combined with his access to  resources across a very broad range of health care and benefits thought-leaders and constituencies positions him uniquely for driving the development of strategic partner and distribution channels.

Most recently Matt was with Ceridian as Vice President of Business Development where he successfully managed a portfolio of acquisitions, divestitures and strategic agreements.  In addition,  he was instrumental in  the establishment of initial channel strategy for benefits administration, HR, and payroll technology through service providers such as Group Benefit Brokers and TPA’s.

Prior to Ceridian, Matt worked as Director of Group Benefit Broker Sales for ADP where he created the company’s first national channel sales strategy for benefits technology and services and was directly responsible for the launch and execution of the company’s indirect sales model.    

Barbara brings over fourteen years of healthcare experience in operations, account management, human capital, strategy, project management and marketing, as well as, a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of others to National Health Options (NHO).  Barbara is also an employee of the Lungen Group.

Barbara began her career in healthcare in a finance position in 1995 with a national rehabilitation company.  In 1997 she joined Devon Health Services, a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and national healthcare cost containment company.   In 2002, she was promoted to Vice President of Business Services, overseeing diverse departments she had created or worked in, including physician recruiting, provider relations, client services, as well as, the marketing and public relations unit, an offshore call center and a cross functional project management team. 

In 2007, Kopos & Baker, a human capital management and healthcare staffing firm, invited Barb to work for them building both a marketing program and new lines of business focused on onboarding, retention and talent strategy for hospitals across the country.  These programs centered on the idea that hiring, retention and professional development have significant strategic and financial impact on any company's success, and in a healthcare setting can directly impact quality of care. Barbara quickly became a champion of building workplaces that are committed to developing the unique promise of value in every individual.

Barbara was recognized in 2003 with Devon Health Services’ leadership award: one of three to ever receive this honor.  In 2005, she was recognized as a finalist in the American Business Awards Women Executive category.  Barb was part of the 2006 MS Leadership Class and has been recognized with a "Stevie" for Best Executive for 2006, from The American Business Awards.