Sam Antonios MD
Physician Executive | Data Driven Health System Leader | Quality, Digital & Financial Transformation
Sam Antonios MD
Physician Executive | Data Driven Health System Leader | Quality, Digital & Financial Transformation
Executive Summary
Proven physician executive and healthcare strategist with extensive experience leading clinical and quality operations, analytics, quality improvement, financial optimization, and digital transformation in large health systems. Expertise in revenue cycle management, payer relations, operational efficiency, and service line growth. Recognized for transforming fragmented clinical organizations into integrated, high-performing health systems with strong public quality scores and sustainable financial performance, building strong relationships, improving financial sustainability, and driving large-scale change initiatives.
Career Competencies
Health System Leadership in Quality & Growth
Multi-Hospital Operations
Managed Care Experience
Revenue Cycle & Utilization Management
Digital Health & Data Analytics
Physician Enterprise & Governance
Regulatory & Accreditation Performance
Service Line Development
Crisis & Incident Command
Board-Level Leadership
Professional Experience
Ascension Via Christi is the largest iIntegrated and largest Catholic Health System in Kansas | 7 hospitals | ASCs | ACO | 4 JVs | Post-Acute Rehab | 250+ providers | Large GME Programs | Nationally recognized quality.
Provided executive system level clinical leadership for acute care and ambulatory care portfolio
Enterprise Scope
- Oversight of 7 hospitals, medical group, ambulatory surgery centers, ACO, home health, post-acute care, DME and joint ventures
- Executive leadership of Physician Medical Group, Quality, Pharmacy, Population Health, Care Management, and Graduate Medical Education, Outpatient Clinics
- System-wide responsibility for Joint Commission, CMS, Leapfrog, Healthgrades and specialty accreditation performance
- Participated in advocacy work at the state level in Topeka and federal level in Washington DC
- Played an integral part in growth of key clinical service lines such as neurosciences service line, cardiovascular, oncology and surgery. Led the growth of programs like the structural heart program to 800 per year. Grew the lung program to 1000 in 2025
Clinical and Financial turnaround & recovery
- Led post-COVID enterprise recovery, driving multimillion-dollar financial turnaround through throughput redesign, revenue cycle improvement, payer optimization and high-margin service-line expansion
- Built Direct-to-Employer relationship, new concierge medicine segment, generating new recurring revenue streams and launched Medicare Shared Savings (MSSP) programs
- Expanded specialty pharmacy and optimized the 340b Drug Pricing Program, producing significant incremental margin of $45 million per year
- Provided analytics support to all aspects of operations to support decision making
- Participated in stewardship activities leading to cost improvements of $5 million dollars
Quality, Safety & Market Reputation
- Achieved Leapfrog A ratings across multiple hospitals
- Secured multiple national designations: Level I Trauma, Comprehensive Stroke, CAR-T (FACT), Burn Center, Bariatrics and Geriatric ED
- Delivered top-tier rankings from US News & World Report and Healthgrades, elevating regional market position
- Optimized all federal quality reporting programs at both the inpatient and outpatient clinical practice (IQR, OQR, VBP, eCQMs)
- Represented Via Christi at the state and national level with interviews and press releases
Managed Care Experience
- Served on Centene Utilization Review Committee for Medicaid health plan
- Built the Physician Advisor Program for Via Christi
- Served on Ascension Complete (Medicare Advantage product) Board
- Served on Ascension Personalized Care (Marketplace product) Board
- Assisted in negotiations with payer contracts for the health system
Ascension Via Christi is the largest iIntegrated and largest Catholic Health System in Kansas | 7 hospitals | ASCs | ACO | 4 JVs | Post-Acute Rehab | 250+ providers | Large GME Programs | Nationally recognized quality.
Provided executive clinical leadership to all Acute Care Facilities
Operations & Patient Flow
- Reduced ED boarding by 60% and length of stay while increasing regional transfer acceptance to >90%. Increased discharges before noon to 50%
- Reduced LWBS from 5% to 0.1%. Reduced door to provider to less than 6 minutes.
- Led hospital remodels, transitional care clinics and service-line realignment to improve efficiency and growth
Medical Staff Affairs
- Provide clinical leadership and strategic direction across inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory settings to ensure high-quality, safety, and cost-effective care
- Oversee quality, patient safety, risk management, and regulatory compliance, including accreditation readiness and external reporting
- Led medical staff governance, credentialing, peer review, and professional practice evaluation (OPPE/FPPE)
- Implemented a new Bylaws and Policies project for 4 hospitals
- Drive physician engagement and alignment, fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement
- Champion high-reliability and patient-centered care principles across the organization
- Guide clinical transformation initiatives, including digital health, analytics, care redesign, and value-based care models
- Led systemwide quality and safety initiatives resulting in measurable reductions in harmful events, improved patient outcomes, and sustained regulatory compliance
- Implemented data-driven clinical dashboards and performance reporting, enabling real-time decision-making and accountability
- Successfully guided the organization through accreditation surveys, regulatory reviews, and risk mitigation efforts with no major findings
- Advanced care standardization and evidence-based practice, reducing unwarranted clinical variation across service lines
Ascension Via Christi is the largest iIntegrated and largest Catholic Health System in Kansas | 7 hospitals | ASCs | ACO | 4 JVs | Post-Acute Rehab | 250+ providers | Large GME Programs | Nationally recognized quality.
Provided leadership for all digital health business and initiatives
- Worked with CIO on strategic vision
- Led Ascension Via Christi’s enterprise digital transformation and clinical informatics strategy.
- Directed Cerner’s (now Oracle) largest single-day EHR go-live, stabilizing operations and integrating clinical, financial and operational data
- Built enterprise analytics, clinical documentation and coding platforms that materially improved revenue integrity and utilization management
- Led ICD-10 transition and clinical documentation strategy, protecting millions in reimbursement during a national coding conversion
- Deployed a home-grown Mobile App to support physician workflows
- Deep understanding of data, data analytics including Tableau and Python
- Obtained fellowship in HIMSS
- Obtained Master Degree in Healthcare Data Analytics (in 2020)
Ascension Via Christi is the largest iIntegrated and largest Catholic Health System in Kansas | 7 hospitals | ASCs | ACO | 4 JVs | Post-Acute Rehab | 250+ providers | Large GME Programs | Nationally recognized quality.
Provided leadership to Case Management and denial management
- Brought in to modernize utilization review, payer engagement, and medical necessity management.
- Built physician-led utilization governance and case management workflows
Created payer-provider operating reviews, improving authorization performance, denial rates and throughput - Educated medical staff on medical necessity, length-of-stay management and compliance
- Assistance to Revenue Cycle and improvement in AR and reduction in denials
- Led RAC audit work including appeals and documentation improvement efforts
- Created the American Society of Medical Advisors which later became part of ACPA, American College of Physician Advisors
- Served on Boards of ACPA and ACDIS, Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists
University of Kansas is the largest academic program in Kansas. The Wichita Campus provides education to a 4 year medical school and 300 GME residents
Provide hospital medicine clinical care and training to residents and medical students
Professional Education
Durham, North Carolina | Graduated 2022
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Graduated 2018
Wichita, Kansas | Graduated 2008
Graduated 2003
Houston, Texas, 2002
Executive and Professional training
• Harvard Business School — Finance & Accounting, Business Strategy, Alternative Investments, Advanced Financial Decision Making
• HFMA — Hospital Cost Reporting, Revenue Cycle, Reimbursement, Business Intelligence, Ambulatory and Hospital Finance
• American College of Healthcare Executives — Capital Investment, Cost Allocation, Budgeting
• MIT Sloan School of Management — AI in Healthcare
• Stanford University — Medical Statistics & Predictive Analytics
• Harvard Business School — AI in Business, Generative AI, Digital Strategy, Analytics for Executives
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — AI & Big Data in Healthcare
• Johns Hopkins — Patient Safety Certification
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement — Improvement Science & High Reliability Leadership
• Cornell University — Operations Management & Healthcare Operations
• NCQA - HEDIS
•. NAHQ - CPHQ
• Harvard Law School — Business Negotiation, Mediation, Influence in Decision-Making
• Harvard T.H. Chan — Conflict Resolution in Healthcare
• Cornell University — Conflict Management
Professional Credentials
Hospital Cost Reporting (CHCRS),
Revenue Cycle (CRCR)
Accounting & Finance (CSAF),
Business Intelligence (CSBI)
Payment & Reimbursement (CSPR)
Physician Practice Management (CSPPM)
Ambulatory Practice Management (CSAPM)
Recognitions and Awards
McConnell Airforce Flag Recognition
Healthcare Hero 2020, Wichita Business Journal
Excellence in Healthcare 2022, Wichita Business Journal
Ascension Ministry Leadership | EML 16
Contact Me
Questions or Comments
Send me a message or ask me a question using this form. I will do my best to get back to you soon!
Sam Antonios MD Resume
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