Every name has a story, definition, and purpose. We use names to describe people, places, and things to better understand our world. We also use words to signify importance, purpose, and perhaps historical significance.
A person of royal blood might have a name to reflect their kingly heritage. A newborn baby might be named after his father, carrying on the family tradition. Beyond that, names can relay an actual history. Following a name or the evolution of one can reveal a story of people like the Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services team coming together to achieve a common goal through hard work, dedication, and humility.
Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services is the current name of a family that knows the strengths of teamwork. Examining our name and how it has changed through the years will impart our story and the values that will guide us forward.
Fifth Avenue’s Formative Years as Two Different Companies
Oklahoma is a state located in the South-Central United States. Its name is derived from the Choctaw words’ okla,’ which means people, and ‘humma,’ which means red. It is a proper name for a place inhabited by people who cherish each other and work hard to preserve their way of life. It is fitting that our CEO and Co-Founder is Native American and values diversity and respect showing strong leadership, innovation, and kindness to his team, the clients, and the industry that Fifth Avenue represents.
It was in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 2003 when Guy and Jim Feist started Fifth Avenue Agency. Guy had already grown a reputation for helping Oklahoma physicians navigate a tumultuous malpractice insurance market. He had run his agency for over ten years before starting Fifth Avenue Agency in Edmond, OK.
Guy brought a unique, specialized knowledge of medical malpractice. He put that to use by providing a level of service and expertise to Oklahoma physicians that were unprecedented. Besides the fact that their office was located at 108 East 5th Street, Ste B, Edmond, OK 73034, the name Fifth Avenue also indicated the kind of attentive care they were known for providing to their clients.
That same year, 100 miles up Interstate 44 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two men came together to launch Physician Management Assistance Group (PMAG). Joe Spann and Brad Bond left their leadership positions at Hillcrest Healthcare System, one of Oklahoma’s leading healthcare systems, to form the new company.
Joe and Brad recruited friends and family to help launch PMA Group. These people came from different industries. Brad and Pam Perotta, currently part of Fifth Avenue Healthcare’s data integrity management team, previously worked together at the landmark restaurant in Tulsa, Charlie Mitchell’s.
While both companies’ startups came with their own set of challenges, Joe, Brad, and Guy also had to balance work with their individual growing families. PMA Group and Fifth Avenue Agency survived and flourished. Along the way, they forged bonds to unite them in the upcoming decades. Joe now has four children, and Brad had to one-up his efficiency by having quadruplets! Guy’s family outgrew them both! It was an exciting and hectic time.
Joe, Brad, and Guy met around 2010 at an MGMA conference. It was clear they had similar adventures in providing innovative services to Oklahoma physicians. Fifth Avenue Agency provided medical malpractice with a depth of knowledge and unparalleled understanding. PMA Group provided credentialing through a new delegated model that changed how credentialing was done.
At the core, medical malpractice underwriting and credentialing are both risk management. They use the same data, ask many questions, and serve the same clients. The benefit of a partnership between Fifth Avenue Agency and PMAG became apparent, and the opportunity to benefit from the synergy of a streamlined underwriting process gained from this aggregated data while providing complimentary services became a driving force leading to a new future together.
A partnership between Fifth Avenue Agency and PMAG leads to Fifth Avenue Physician Services.
With this partnership, Fifth Avenue Physician Services had an office at 108 E 5th Street, Ste B, Edmond, OK 73034. Fifth Avenue is one of the most famous streets in New York City – and possibly the world. Located in Manhattan, the two-way thoroughfare is just over 6 miles long. It is home to historical sites such as the Empire State Building and Central Park and flagship stores for brands like Apple and Nike.
The name Fifth Avenue evokes a higher level of prestige than most other street names. Thanks to its historical significance in New York City, numerous places throughout the United States boast Fifth Avenue to capture its upstanding reputation.
English novelist Anthony Trollope wrote,” I have never walked down Fifth Avenue alone without thinking of money.” Trollope wrote this in the 19th century before Fifth Avenue exploded in wealth and popularity in the following century. What would he say if he saw it now?
Edmond, Oklahoma, is in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. This ever-growing city has a Fifth Avenue to call its own. Balancing modern progress with small-town charm, this Fifth Avenue was the original location of our Oklahoma City team.
In 2011, the medical malpractice Agency from Edmond and the credentialing company from Tulsa officially joined forces.
Fifth Avenue Agency had established an excellent brand presence and recognition in Oklahoma, and its red skyline logo had become recognizable by healthcare professionals. PMA Group was also gaining ground outside of the state, and the name Fifth Avenue would adequately convey the prestige and client care that PMA Group wanted to provide anywhere in the country.
So, PMA Group was renamed Fifth Avenue Physician Services, and the now classic Fifth Avenue’ blue skyline’ logo was born. It combines the depth of healthcare management experience of PMA Group with the first-rate client service of Fifth Avenue Agency. We want to pay tribute to our beginnings and display our Midwestern roots of family, faith, and a strong work ethic. At the same time, we wanted to reflect the award-winning expectations of the products and services available on the famous Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Fifth Avenue Physician Services has since launched across nearly 40 states using our new partnerships and fully integrated network. We provide the same high-quality credentialing, medical professional liability insurance, and provider enrollment services as we were known by our previous name. If anything, this name change boosted the company’s image while our work enhanced our reputation. It was a solution where everyone benefited all around.
This chapter of our story featured explosive growth. However, the people working hard to ensure our company’s success stayed true to our Midwest roots. Being grounded in humility, faith, and family helped us remember our purpose and ourselves.
New Name, No Limits – Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services
People and businesses cannot thrive if they stand in place. Taking chances can fail, but they can also end in triumph. In 2017, the Fifth Avenue Physician Services family took a few opportunities to optimize our growth. We updated our name to Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services. This name change replaced Physician with Healthcare to demonstrate the company offering the industry a more inclusive service.
Additional eventual elements of the company’s rebranding campaign were refreshing ouraward-winningg Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services’ website, launching the new Fifth Avenue Agency website, and launching our sister company Primoris’ new award-winning website.
The company’s updates did not stop with a name change and new, award-winning websites. Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services also launched an additional credentialing brand focused on primary source verification. Focusing on cutting overhead costs, increasing access to expertise, and speeding up the entire credentialing process, 5ACVO incorporated the Fifth Avenue name but displayed it as 5A. A new logo and another award-winning website accompanied this latest brand, 5ACVO.
Our company won 5 healthcare marketing awards for refreshing Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services and the 5ACVO branding. Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services also enjoyed a new partnership with support teams in St. Louis, Missouri, and Houston, Texas, as part of our strategy to extend our reach through the Midwest. These deepening relationships accompanied national digital marketing efforts that have increased brand awareness resulting in us having the largest IPA in the Midwest.
All these changes did not disrupt the company’s marriage of humble Midwestern roots with classic NYC Fifth Avenue world-class service. The 16,000+ providers we have served have used our company for medical credentialing, provider enrollment, and medical malpractice insurance needs. Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services can help our clients because we know the worth of effort and determination. The Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services group now includes Primoris Credentialing Network, 5ACVO, and Fifth Avenue Agency. If history is any indication, this list can grow to encompass other services we will excel at and reflect our accomplishments.
What’s in a name? The answer for the Fifth Avenue Healthcare family is a story worth remembering.
More information about Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services
Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services is an NCQA Credentialing Accredited family of healthcare companies. Sister companies include 5ACVO (credentialing and primary source verification specialists), Fifth Avenue Agency (MPLI and medical malpractice insurance specialists), and Primoris Credentialing Network (credentialing and provider enrollment specialists with 54+ health plan and network provider enrollment options).
Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services originally published this article here. For information on Fifth Avenue Healthcare Services, please visit FifthAvenueHealthcareService.com or Contact Us.
