The ACG® International Team is a working group within the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Created in 2003, the ACG International Team’s mission is to support healthcare systems’ use of their available health information to measure the health care needs of their population, provide equitable distribution and remuneration of services, and identify ways to improve the efficiency of the delivery of care, with the primary objective being the improved health status of the population. In keeping with this mission, the Team supports ACG® System users worldwide to ensure the correct installation, implementation and interpretation of the software and its output. The Team also assists users in the customization of the ACG System to local contexts.
The ACG International Team consists of dedicated Johns Hopkins University faculty, staff, and affilitates with broad experience in global health care systems. Their expertise includes extensive research on primary health care delivery and financing, the ability to interpret morbidity patterns from a clinical as well as managerial perspective, and the capacity to adapt models to fit the unique aspects of health care systems’ financial and organizational structures. Moreover, the Team possesses cutting-edge knowledge of electronic health records and health information technology, advanced analytics including model development, and a comprehensive hands-on understanding of international coding systems (both diagnostic and pharmaceutical).
ACG International is a research organization, which constantly strives to develop innovative population based case-mix solutions and supports their application worldwide, resulting in an extensive global network of academicians and end-users who are existing supporters.
ACG International Team
Karen Kinder (PhD, MBA), Executive Director of ACG International
Chad Abrams (MA), Deputy Director of ACG International
Patricio Muñiz (MD, MPH, MBA), Senior Consultant, Chile
Steve Sutch, (MAppSc, BSc), Director, Product Management
James Barrett, (MA MB BChir MSc), Senior Analyst, UK
Luisa Pettigrew, (MBCHB,MRCGP, MSc, DCH, DFFP, DRCOG), Senior Consultant, UK
Alan Thompson, (MSc), UK Team Leader
Klaus Lemke (Ph.D, M.Sc.), Senior Analyst, Germany
Huiyuan Zhang (MD, MS), Senior Analyst, Asia
Nihat Yurt (MD), Senior Consultant, Eurasia
Djordje Gikic (MD, MPH), Senior Consultant, Europe and Africa
Karen Kinder (PhD, MBA), Executive Director of ACG International
Associate Faculty member, Department of Health Policy and Management,The Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Kinder has been with ACG International since its creation 10 years ago. In this capacity, she has accumulated extensive experience in morbidity based case-mix. She has supported numerous adaptations of the ACG® System throughout the world and advised users in its various applications. She has carried out assessments of data quality and provided recommendations for improvement. In addition, she assists in training and model development to tailor solutions to specific countries’ needs. Dr. Kinder has contributed her expertise to international assistance projects in transitional, developing as well as developed countries. Dr. Kinder received her doctorate degree from Johns Hopkins University, and her MBA from the University of Maryland.
Patricio Muñiz (MD MPH MBA), Senior Consultant, Chile
Dr. Muñiz has been part of the ACG System Team since 2006. He is actively involved in managing our clinician team responsible for maintaining the internal mappings to the System. Additionally, he is responsible for adapting the ACG System for international use. In 2010, he was named International Development Director. Dr. Muñiz also serves as Senior Consultant for Ibero-America supporting clients in South America, Spain and Portugal.
In addition to clinical practice in Chile, Dr. Muñiz has worked as a health care consultant for over 10 years. His main areas of expertise, in addition to case-mix, are quality improvement and quality measures, having worked with health care providers to provide safe and effective health care in South America.
Dr. Muñiz received his M.D. from Chile’s Catholic University, his M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and his M.B.A. from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
Steve Sutch, (MAppSc, BSc), Director, Product Management
Mr. Sutch has been working with ACG International for four years He has over 20 years experience of working in the National Health Service (NHS) in Great Britain at local, regional and national levels. He has worked with data and data collections from various aspects of activity and financial returns. His lead role in the design of HRGv35, a tool currently used for hospital payments in NHS England-- and its updated version HRGv4-- led to the development of analytical methods on routinely collected NHS data as well as other clinical data collections. He has an extensive working and practical knowledge of the HES/NWCS/SUS data collections.
Through the Kings Fund project, and subsequent projects with various PCTs, Mr. Sutch has gained expertise in the application of ACGs® to NHS ambulatory data.
James Barrett, (MA MB BChir MSc), Senior Analyst, UK
Dr. Barrett received his MA from Cambridge University.
Luisa Pettigrew, (MBChB, MRCGP, MSc, DCH, DFFP, DRCOG), Senior Consultant, UK
Dr. Pettigrew joined the ACG System Team in 2012 and provides clinical input. She has worked for the NHS for 10 years and has specialist training as a General Practitioner/Family Physician. She has additional clinical qualifications in children's and women's health, as well as a Diploma in International Health and a Master of Science in Health Policy, Planning and Financing. Dr. Pettigrew currently sits on the Royal College of General Practitioners' International Committee and on the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) council as UK representative. She has represented WONCA at the World Health Organization (WHO) and has undertaken consultancy work with the WHO related to health systems financing.
Alan Thompson, (MSc), UK Team Leader
Mr. Thompson joined the ACG International Team in April 2013. A registered nurse by background, Mr. Thompson has over 30 years' experience in the UK National Health Service (NHS) in clinical, operational and project management posts within hospitals and primary care. He has a keen interest in the use of information to support managerial and clinical decision-making and to inform improvements in the provision of patient-centered services.
Between 2010 and 2013, Mr. Thompson led a project to implement the ACG System across 600 GP Practices in the south of England. This role supported clinicians in optimizing the use of risk stratification information to inform clinical programs such as case management and integrated care teams. He also worked with Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to use risk stratification to support commissioning activities.
As a firm believer in sharing experience and expertise across the NHS, he established both the Southern England and national UK ACG System User groups to facilitate conversations and shared learning among NHS users of the ACG System.
Nihat Yurt (MD), Senior Consultant, Eurasia
Dr. Yurt worked for the Ministry of Health in Turkey between 2000 and 2009, as the coordinator of the eHealth efforts within the eTransformation Turkey Project. Dr. Yurt was appointed by the Prime Ministry as the Deputy Head of e-Government Advisory Group in 2009. He directed the e-Prime Ministry Project and was involved in drafting e-legislation and international activities on e-health and e-government. He has taken an active role in eEurope+, eTurkey and eTransformation Turkey projects and in the development of the Action Plans for the eTransformation Turkey project and Information Society Strategy carried out by the State Planning Organization. He has broad knowledge, experience and leadership on the strategy and policy of eGovernment, eHealth and ICT technologies.
In June, 2010, Dr. Yurt took on the role of Senior Consultant for the ACG International Team, focusing on the Middle East and Gulf States, as well as assisting with various EU eHealth initiatives.
Since 2010, he has been working for the Public Administration Institute for Turkey and Middle East (TODAIE) as the Institute’s physician and also has been providing support to e-Government Center activities and projects. Dr. Yurt graduated with a Medical Doctor degree from the Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1998.
Djordje Gikic (MD, MPH), Senior Consultant, Europe and Africa
Dr. Gikic joined the ACG System Team in 2013. Previously, he was a senior consultant with McKinsey and Company, where he acquired a broad expertise on health systems across Europe and North Africa. More recently, he has been working as Country Director for the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Rwanda. There, he advised the Ministry of Health on key health system strengthening issues, including Health Financing, Human Resources for Health, and Medical Equipment. He worked very closely with the MoH and partners to improve resources allocation across priorities and geographies and ensure that funding was targeted toward key strategic priorities. He previously worked as a consultant for the World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on health reform in North Africa and immunization systems respectively.
Dr. Gikic holds U.S. Board Certifications in Family Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. He completed his Master of Public Health in 2005 and his Preventive Medicine Residency at the Johns Hopkins Bloombergy School of Public Health in 2006.
