ELS
LOADING · 0%
Chief Operating Officer · CEO / GM · VP Operations

Loss to profit in three years. Held for the next twenty.

Three decades running healthcare and enterprise operations with full ownership of the number. Took a physician practice management organization from a $1.6M annual loss run-rate to $2M in annual profit within three years, cleared its debt by 2012, and ran a $53M consolidated operation profitably until an orderly, board-directed exit in 2025.

See the turnaround Track record
Turnaround · Operations · Healthcare MSO Est. 1991
Columbus, Ohio MBA · CLMP
Portrait of Eric L. Severson
$0M
Annual profit, from a $1.6M loss
$0M
Revenue under management
$0M
Captive insurer built
0%
Staff turnover, down from 26%
The signature work

The turnaround, year by year.

Ascent came in at a $1.6M annual loss run-rate in 2006. Five service lines, a rebuilt cost structure, and a captive insurer later, the crossover into profit held for the better part of twenty years. Select a year.
Below the line: lossAbove the line: profit
BREAK EVEN crossover 2008 2006 2007 2009 2012 2013 2014 2019 2025
2006
Minus $1.6M run-rate
Took the seat at a $1.6M annual loss run-rate, with five legal entities and staff turnover running at 26%. Owned the full P&L from the first day: finance, operations, and governance.
Track record

Thirty years of owning the number.

2025 to Present
ELSAR Strategic Solutions
Columbus, OH
Owner, Interim / Fractional COO & Executive Advisor
  • Interim and fractional executive leadership for physician practices and health organizations through finance, private-equity transitions, and health-system employment transitions.
  • Six client organizations engaged since 2025, three currently active, delivering turnaround, restructuring, and operational oversight.
2006 to 2025
Ascent Medical Management (MSO)
Columbus, OH
Center of gravity
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Operating Officer
  • Reversed a $1.6M annual loss run-rate into $2M in annual profit within three years, cutting $2M in costs in the first 14 months across software, leases, payroll, benefits, and purchasing.
  • Cleared all company debt by 2012 and held the turnaround profitable for two decades across five service lines: practice management, revenue cycle billing, captive insurance, an agency, and HR.
  • Oversaw $32.3M in client and insured revenue inside a $53M consolidated operation, managing 140 physicians and 340 administered staff and running lean at 25 to 35 direct, down from 120.
  • Cut staff turnover from 26% to 3% between 2006 and 2009, reorganized five legal entities into three, and added $2M in MSO revenue in 2014 by doubling the medical-billing client base from four to eight.
  • Built and ran the MSO, billing, and medical-liability platform behind Avina Women's Care, one of Ohio's largest OB/GYN practices at 38 physicians and 8,300 annual deliveries, now the Ohio operation of a national private-equity group.
  • Built a captive insurer to $20M in assets across three domiciles, cutting per-insured malpractice premiums from $120K to $32K, and directed EHR and EMR implementations across major platforms.
  • Led an orderly, board-directed wind-down as the market consolidated, returned $13M to owners, ran off the captive liability tail, and placed every employee.
2002 to 2006
Prosero, Inc.
Dublin, OH
Director, Center of Excellence Operations
  • Delivered $100M in identified and negotiated client savings across a 12-account enterprise portfolio, anchored by $40M for a REIT client and $20M for a manufacturer.
  • Won $10M in new contracts and managed procurement budgets up to $100M with a 23-person team serving Motorola, Lucent, and Verizon.
2000 to 2002
Unicon International
Columbus, OH
Business Development Director
  • Grew revenue from $500K to $3M in two years with a 15% profit increase and 15 new enterprise clients.
  • Led a 62-person team and a $1.2M budget, and saved clients $4M through technology upgrades and outsourcing.
1991 to 2000
Chase · Qwest · Bank One · Huntington
Ohio
Earlier Career: VP / Director / Manager
  • VP Treasury Management at Chase and Director of Strategic Applications at Qwest, running more than 30 concurrent projects.
  • AVP Contract Acquisitions at Bank One delivering $1.1M in savings; inventory control leadership at Huntington National Bank.
Operating thesis

How the number gets fixed.

Healthcare services organizations get turned around, run, and restructured, then handed back as a stronger, cleaner business. Three decades in operations and general management sit behind that work, most of it with full ownership of the P&L, from cost structure to margin.

The pattern rarely changes. Diagnose where the money leaks, rebuild the cost base without breaking the business as a going concern, stabilize the leadership team so people stop leaving, and put governance in place that holds after the rescue is over. Turnaround is not a heroic sprint. It is a disciplined operating position that has to survive twenty years and an orderly exit.

A turnaround is only real once it is boring. Debt cleared, turnover at 3%, the same margin holding year after year, and a business clean enough to hand to the next owner.
Eric L. Severson
What comes to the seat

Four things I run from day one.

01
Operational turnaround & P&L
Full ownership of the number, from cost structure to margin. Cut $2M in costs in the first 14 months and reached debt-free while keeping the company a going concern.
P&L ownershipCost reductionRestructuringMulti-entity ops
02
Healthcare & MSO operations
Revenue cycle and medical billing across major EHR and EMR platforms. Consolidated multiple independent OB/GYN practices into one managed entity and reorganized five legal entities into three.
Revenue cycleEHR / EMRPractice managementCompliance
03
Captive insurance & risk
Built and ran a captive insurance program to $20M in assets across three domiciles, cutting per-insured malpractice premiums from $120K to $32K over fifteen years.
Captive programsRisk managementMalpractice coverLiability run-off
04
Team, culture & governance
Cut staff turnover from 26% to 3%, ran lean through outsourcing and offshore partnerships, restructured shareholder agreements, and led a board-directed wind-down that returned $13M to owners.
Board relationsGovernanceRetentionStakeholder mgmt
Credentials

Education, licenses & service.

Education

  • Master of Business AdministrationFranklin University, 1996
  • BS, Business AdministrationFranklin University, 1994

Certifications & Licenses

  • Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP)2013
  • Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance AgentState of Ohio, since 2008

Affiliations & Board

  • ASHRM, CICA, and CLMA member
  • Board of DirectorsHaven of Hope Cancer Foundation, 2011 to 2015

Let's talk about the operating seat.

For boards, owners, and private-equity teams weighing a turnaround, a permanent operating hire, or interim leadership through a transition.

Currently open to

Chief Operating Officer, Chief Executive Officer, General Manager, VP or Director of Operations, and interim or fractional COO roles across healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services. Based in Central Ohio; open to onsite, hybrid, and remote, with travel to 50%.

Email LinkedIn