Samuel Barnes is the President and Chief Executive Officer of PayrAdvisors and
is responsible for all business and client operations. Sam founded PayrAdvisors in April of 2021 and has grown the business to a leading, national managed care consulting business helping healthcare providers and facilities all over the US negotiate better reimbursement with payers. Sam has been involved in payer contracting and managed care negotiations for 10+ years and has held senior executive roles at Envision Healthcare, VIVO
Infusion and more.

Sam created PayrAdvisors to bring a cost-effective solution to the market for underrepresented physician practices, facilities and hospitals. He created a vision for the company that focuses on middle market, independent or private equity back companies to forge payor solutions and strategies that promote growth and sustainability. Sam is committed to the healthcare community and representing and protecting providers who care for patients.

Sam holds his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. Sam completed significant scientific research at the undergraduate and graduate levels that have been published in many academic journals. Mr. Barnes also holds a graduate degree from the Vanderbilt Owen School of Business and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In his free time Sam enjoys spending time
with his family, golfing and hanging with his puppies Puddles and Ellie!

Dan McAfee is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience in provider contracting, finance, network operations, and strategic development—uniquely spanning both the payer and provider landscapes. His diverse background includes senior leadership roles with United Digestive, EyeCare Services Partners, Ernst & Young, ECG Management Consultants, Texas Health Resources & more. Dan has an extensive advisory services representing clients on both sides of the healthcare table. Dan has served as President, Interim CEO, and Senior Executive Officer, in addition to holding board positions with several physician organizations and acting as a strategic advisor to two major health system boards.

Throughout his career, Dan has led high-impact engagements such as:

– Overseeing all financial reimbursement, payer and provider network contracting, and operations for a provider-sponsored network of over 7,000 physicians and 300+ hospitals, serving more than 400,000 capitated HMO and 1 million PPO members.

– Designing and negotiating complex value-based and performance-based contracts, bundled pricing models, and distribution arrangements for ACOs, health systems, physician groups, and ancillary providers.

– Building population health-focused reimbursement models to support long-term care transformation and sustainable value-based care.

– Leading contract negotiations for hundreds of Commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid arrangements—many valued in the hundreds of millions—linked to quality and outcome-based performance metrics.

– Managing the development and implementation of a national hospital and physician reimbursement database and analytics platform, enabling provider organizations to benchmark and optimize managed care performance.

Dan holds a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Bob Remy is our Vice President of Managed Care. Bob is responsible for driving improvements in payer strategy and securing favorable agreements for hospitals and medical groups.

Before joining the PayrAdvisors team, Bob served as Corporate Assistant Vice President at LCMC Health where he led payer strategy for an 8-hospital system which include multiple medical groups and a clinically integrated network. Bob has also held leadership positions at UnitedHealth Group and HCA Healthcare, focused on building provider networks and managed care strategy. His expertise includes healthcare finance analysis, reimbursement methodologies and value based care. He holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University and a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University. Bob retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel and served as a medic during Operation Desert Storm.

Liz Weingartner is the Vice President of Pricing & Analytics for PayrAdvisors, located in Nashville, TN.

Liz has a strong background in data analytics, having over nine years’ experience with two of the biggest healthcare companies in the country. Before joining PayrAdvisors, Liz served on the Strategic Pricing & Analytics team with Envision Healthcare, where she led the company’s commercial business bids for new physician groups for the multibillion-dollar company.

Prior to her time at Envision Healthcare, Liz served as Financial Analyst at Community Healthcare Systems where she led the company’s data reconciliation process. She also created and maintained various contractual models, working closely with upper management to optimize the hospital to payer experience, pricing, and data integrity.

While at both companies, Liz handled millions of dollars’ worth of data for multiple service lines for both hospitals and physician groups across the country. She worked with payers across the country in Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Hospital Medicine, Radiology, Neonatology, Surgery, and OB Services, just to name a few.

Over the past two years, Liz has also served as Director of Managed Care on the Payer Relations team with Vivo Infusion. There, she is involved in payer contracting, credentialing, and data analytics.

Liz is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Additionally, Liz is a certified personal trainer, teaching early morning indoor cycling and bootcamp classes in the greater Nashville area.

Trystan King is our Vice President of Payer Strategy & Contracting. Trystan is responsible for a host of physician’s groups & medical clinics across the US helping them achieve better reimbursement for their payer portfolios by executing comprehensive payer reimbursement strategies, building & fostering payer relationships, and negotiating. Trystan has a background in strategic planning and contracting.

Before becoming a valuable member of the PayrAdvisors team, Trystan brought his expertise to the forefront as a dedicated tax consultant and strategist, specializing in assisting small businesses. During his tenure in this role, he demonstrated a profound commitment to helping these enterprises navigate the complexities of the tax landscape, offering tailored solutions, and ensuring their financial well-being. Trystan’s experience and proficiency in providing strategic advice to small businesses has uniquely positioned him for his current role at PayrAdvisors, where he continues to be a trusted advisor for clients seeking expert guidance in the world of managed care.

Trystan earned his BA from Georgia Southwestern University and a Master’s in Accounting and Business Administration from Georgia Southern University.

Michael Albanese currently serves as our Director of Business Development overseeing all day to day operations around sales, client retention and growth. Michael has a wealth of sales knowledge and expertise with over 10+ years of experience building new relationships, promoting business ventures, managing high net worth transactions for large corporations. Prior to joining PayrAdvisors Michael was sales consultant for PayCor, a leading payroll software services company with a unique focus in the healthcare sector. Michael’s connections and deep relationships within the healthcare community make him an asset on the PayrAdvisor’s team. His responsibility is ensuring our services are promoted within the healthcare community to drive value for existing and prospective clients.

As our Director of Business Development, he is responsible for new client engagement and outreach to ensure we are tracking growth metrics accordingly. Michael is a proud father of one and enjoys spending time with his family and traveling the country. Michael earned is BA from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

David Hamilton is a Senior Consultant with PayrAdvisors focusing on strategic initiatives with various clients. David will be partnering with a host of physician’s groups & medical clinics across the US where he will bring strategic value to achieve better reimbursement for payer portfolios by executing comprehensive payer reimbursement strategies, building & fostering payer relationships, and negotiating high-performing contracts. David has a background in healthcare strategy & analytics consulting.

Before becoming a valuable member of the PayrAdvisors team, David led strategic initiatives with his clients where he provided insight to leaders that informed negotiations in the financial exchange between payers and healthcare providers. He was also a key player in go-to-market efforts for the consulting team he was a part of, which is a skill he is excited about bringing to PayrAdvisors to support the long-term growth of the firm. During his time in healthcare consulting, David prioritized client service & relationship building, and demonstrated a keen ability to not only understand the root cause of the opportunity at each individual client situation but develop and execute sustainable strategies that led to stronger financial and operational performance.

David earned his BS from Purdue University, Daniels School of Business with certifications in Data Science as well as Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

Jacqueline Ashford is a senior consultant with PayrAdvisors, focusing on payer reimbursement strategies to help physicians across the US negotiate better reimbursement with payers. Jacqueline has a background in healthcare strategy and analytics consulting.

Before joining the team, Jacqueline led high-impact projects with healthcare clients, showcasing her strategic thinking in optimizing business operations and enhancing client satisfaction. Her time in healthcare consulting has seen her work across various areas of the healthcare landscape, from provider relations to claims processing to member and provider enrollment. Jacqueline’s expertise in managing and analyzing large, intricate datasets has consistently generated data-driven insights that support clients’ decision-making. Her analytical acumen and strong client relationships have been instrumental in developing successful new business initiatives. Jacqueline’s ability to provide analytical insights and collaborate effectively with clients positions her as a valuable strategic partner and advisor for healthcare providers navigating the managed care landscape. Jacqueline is committed to providing exemplary client service and fostering sustainable payer relationships through rigorous analytics and the execution of negotiation strategies specific to each client and their market.

Jacqueline earned her Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.