AUSTIN, Texas – April 2, 2014 — Ortho Kinematics‚ Inc. (OKI), a privately held healthcare diagnostic company focused on spine imaging informatics, announced today the addition of Jason Dees, D.O., FAAFP President and CEO of Magnolia Health to OKI’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Dees is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Magnolia Health, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation. In his tenure, membership has grown by over 100 percent and revenue now exceeds $385 million. Dr. Dees joined Magnolia Health as the Chief Medical Director where he oversaw the clinical pharmacy and quality improvement departments. Additionally Dr. Dees reviewed plan claims for medically appropriate decisions and served as the physician voice on all plan decisions. Prior to Magnolia, Dr. Dees was Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of New Albany Medical Group where he oversaw day to day operations, implemented the clinic’s electronic health record, and worked with the partners to double the number of providers. He also has consulting experience with Take Care Health Systems, General Electric Healthcare Information Technology and Healthlink, and IBM Company.
“I am excited to be part of this revolutionary new spine diagnostic test. I see the VMA (Vertebral Motion Analysis test) as a more detailed patient selection tool in the area of spinal instability and potentially the next diagnostic standard of care.” said Dr. Dees. Paul Gunnoe, CEO of Ortho Kinematics, additionally commented, “We are pleased about Dr. Dees’ participation on our Medical and Scientific Advisory board. The value he adds from a payer’s standpoint as well as his experience in primary care and occupational medicine will assist us in commercializing the technology. His involvement also is a strong reflection of the excitement payers are showing over our VMA technology.”
OKI’s Vertebral Motion Analysis (VMA) test is a revolutionary new diagnostic technology that is an alternative to a test that has been routinely prescribed for the assessment of spinal instability for over 70 years. Spinal instability is a condition that very often results in severe back and neck pain, and is the number one most common primary diagnosis driving the 500,000+ spine fusion surgeries done in the US each year.
Visit www.orthokinematics.com for more information about the VMA and to locate the closest facility. ____________________________________________________________________________
About Magnolia Health
Magnolia Health (Magnolia) is a long-term solution to help the state of Mississippi enhance care for Medicaid recipients while most effectively managing Medicaid funds. A physician-driven, Mississippi- based Medicaid Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), Magnolia is backed by its parent company, Centene Corporation (Centene). Centene has 25 years of experience in Medicaid and other government- funded programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and long-term care.
About Ortho Kinematics
Ortho Kinematics is a privately held diagnostic technology company, focused on spine imaging informatics and committed to the idea that spine motion matters. The company is working with a group of leading clinicians, researchers and developers who are passionate about leveraging spine biomechanical data to improve the diagnosis and treatment of back pain. Ortho Kinematics is located in Austin, Texas and is on the web at www.orthokinematics.com. For more information contact Ortho Kinematics, Inc. at