Company: ProgenyHealth, Plymouth Meeting, PA USA
Company Description: ProgenyHealth delivers care management solutions to insurers and employer groups, managing the health care services provided to premature and medically complex newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The award winning ProgenyHealth program was founded in 2003 by President and CEO, Dr. Ellen Stang and has grown to work with NICUs in all 50 states.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Business Services –11 to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Dr. Ellen Stang, President, CEO & Founder

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated entrepreneur since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

Ellen Stang, MD is the President, CEO, and founder of ProgenyHealth, a company providing care management services to health plans for their premature and medically complex newborns admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Dr. Stang is truly inspiring and an example of someone who has worked hard to secure a strong education, gain clinical experience, develop herself professionally, and achieve great things. Following medical school and residency, Dr. Stang entered private practice as one of the founding partners of Bucks County Pediatrics. After several years in private practice, Dr. Stang became a Regional Medical Director in managed care at Keystone Mercy Health Plan (KMHP) in Philadelphia. In this position, she developed and implemented a Neonatal Care Management program that was so successful that it was shared with all affiliated health plans.

Dr. Stang has always been a leader, and following her tenure at Keystone Mercy Health Plan, she left the corporate world to start her entrepreneurial journey and founded her own managed care company, ProgenyHealth. The model she used to launch ProgenyHealth consists of offering care coordination services that improve the healthcare system by assisting families with learning about the care of their premature babies and making hospital stays in the NICU more affordable for health plans.

Dr. Stang was taking a risk by entering the managed care marketplace because at the time there was one very large, entrenched competitor that had a stronghold on the market. Against the odds, Dr. Stang was able to establish credibility and get the ProgenyHealth name recognized throughout the managed care industry. In less than 10 years, ProgenyHealth has grown from a company which began in Dr. Stang’s basement into a multimillion dollar business employing over 40 healthcare professionals and working on a national scale, with hospitals, families and providers in all 50 states.

Being an expert in her field, Dr. Stang will often speak at national health care conferences. She is a featured speaker at the Medicaid Health Plans of America conference in Washington DC this October.

Dr. Stang’s success was recognized in September of 2012 when she was chosen as one of Ernst and Young LLP’s 2012 Entrepreneurial Winning Women. The Entrepreneurial Winning Women program is a national competition and executive leadership program that identifies a select group of high-potential women entrepreneurs whose businesses show real potential.

Dr. Stang is very much in support of female entrepreneurship. She has been a member of the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Philly, a group which mentors and supports female CEO’s and leaders. Because of this commitment, Dr. Stang became a member of their Board of Directors in 2012. She also belongs to an organization called Studentmentor.org in which she mentors college students interested in a career in health care.

Along with supporting other female entrepreneurs, Dr. Stang gives back to her community in other ways. In September of 2012, Dr. Stang sponsored a playground build at an elementary school in York, PA in conjunction with one of ProgenyHealth’s clients, AmeriHealth Caritas Health Plan. Additionally, a committee has been formed within the company to plan for a “Day of Caring” where associates decide how to dedicate their

Provide a brief biography of the nominated entrepreneur (up to 125 words):

Dr. Ellen Stang is the founder of ProgenyHealth®. As the President and CEO of the company, she is responsible for the strategic direction and daily operations of the company. Dr. Stang’s leadership is extremely valued throughout the organization as Progeny continues to succeed and grow in this ever changing health care environment. Under Dr. Stang’s leadership, ProgenyHealth® has grown to work with NICUs in all 50 states.

Prior to founding ProgenyHealth®, Dr. Stang was a Regional Medical Director at a large managed care plan in Philadelphia and also worked in private practice as one of the founding partners of Bucks County Pediatrics. She also is involved in community programs such as Student Mentor.org as well as AWE, a group supporting woman leaders and entrepreneurs.