A group of 20 new clinical allergy specialists listen eagerly to their instructor as she covers different aspects of the allergy care they will be providing during their training. This is the day-to-day activity in United Allergy Services’ (UAS) in-house training center. While others are preparing for the lull of winter breaks, the passionate personnel at United Allergy Services are steadily working toward their mission “to revolutionize allergy care in America,” under the guidance of recently appointed CEO Tom Thill.
Since late August, Tom Thill has taken the reins as United Allergy Services’ CEO, and the long-time healthcare veteran has excelled in his transition, steadily leading UAS toward fulfilling their mission with responsible, sustained growth influenced by a long-term vision. Working in the healthcare industry for 18 years, Tom Thill has helped lead companies like Stryker and Pfizer, among others, to success. And for the past four years, Tom has maintained and furthered his mission of expanding UAS responsibly and strategically. As the senior vice-president of operations, Tom worked closely with former CEO Kevin Johnson on improving year-over-year lab productivity and securing substantial relationships with renowned healthcare providers and large academic healthcare systems. During his time as senior vice-president of operations Tom ensured that the focus remained on:
- The patients and their progress in relieving their allergy symptoms
- Physicians and UAS’ partnership with them, ensuring that they’re pleased with the services their being provided
- UAS’ internal health and growth
To ensure physician and patient satisfaction, UAS has invested heavily in clinical and patient education. “When you start to educate patients, they want to hear more about the options they have,” explained Tom. This patient education is possible because UAS is home to a training course that is unlike any other. In partnership with the University of Incarnate Word, UAS’ Clinical Allergy Specialist certification is a rigorous program that ensures proficiency in providing allergy care support in the primary care setting. The program requires that participants satisfy more than 100 hours of training which includes on the job shadowing with an experienced Senior Clinical Allergy Specialist, classroom training, implementation training, and additional sessions that cover the healthcare environment including OSHA and HIPAA. The blend of field shadowing and hands-on training at the corporate headquarters with UAS’ in-house trainers ensures that new Clinical Allergy Specialists are able to provide world class allergy services in their assigned primary care clinics. “Our safety record is as good as it is because we take a lot of precautionary steps, that’s why we invest so heavily in training,” shared Tom.
“We want to be able to treat people more effectively” -Tom Thill, CEO of United Allergy Services
Indeed, former CEO Kevin Johnson shared that he was “very confident in the future of United Allergy Services with Tom Thill as the company’s CEO.”
“He has the unanimous support of the Board of Directors and was groomed for this role as part of our succession planning process. Tom and I have worked together to strengthen operations…Now is the perfect time for Tom to become United Allergy’s next chief executive officer,” shared former CEO Kevin Johnson.
Though the mission to revolutionize allergy care in America is challenging, Tom is enthusiastically taking on the challenge and is energized by UAS’ ability to provide much needed care to a substantial portion of the population. There are approximately 2,800 allergists in the nation at large, but roughly 60 million people suffer from allergies. The stark ratio of providers to allergy sufferers seems insurmountable, but knowing this, UAS has formulated methods to reach and treat the nation’s allergy affliction. The U.S. has about 350,000 primary care physicians. Naturally, with more primary care physicians comes more access. Though the dilemma is that many people will either try to treat their allergies with over-the-counter medication, that may or may not work, or they will seek help from their primary care physician who may not be readily equipped to fully alleviate their affliction.
“Convenience and accessibility is really the crux of United Allergy Services’ model” -Tom Thill, CEO of United Allergy Services
Seeing this, UAS devised a method by which to increase access to care. By partnering with primary care physicians, pulmonologists, pediatricians, dermatologists and a number of other healthcare providers, UAS has set out to assist physicians in bringing effective, convenient allergy testing to the patient, rather than have the patient come to them.
Typically, patients have to wait to see an allergist, and once they do, they must undergo testing and, if able, begin immunotherapy. While immunotherapy has been proven to give significant symptom improvement in up to 85 percent of
patients, the time that the entire process takes may mean many months of suffering before patients can get relief. It’s here that UAS’ innovative method prospers. UAS’s protocol has been designed to train patients in their physician’s office to self-administer their allergy shots. By partnering with healthcare providers and providing this knowledge, the accessibility of care is expanded exponentially. “We want to be able to treat people more effectively. Convenience and accessibility is really the crux of United Allergy Services’ model,” shares Tom proudly.
Since 2009, UAS has treated over 170,000 patients and partnered with 2,400 doctors, highlighting that their innovative services are in high demand
In its six years, United Allergy Services has experienced tremendous growth and success. Their inaugural steps during this period were to prove their safety and efficacy. Since Tom has taken the reins as CEO the emphasis has been on responsible, sustained growth. “We grew really fast, and now we’re focused on growing for the long-term, while being thoughtful of the customers and locations that we add,” says Tom on maintaining and furthering UAS’ already successful model. Indeed, since 2009 UAS has treated over 170,000 patients and partnered with 2,400 doctors, highlighting that their innovative services are in high demand.
With Tom Thill at the reins, United Allergy Services’ future is bright and will undoubtedly be successful. Following their plan of long-term, responsible, sustained growth, UAS is set to continue taking Texas, and the nation at large, by storm. The revolution is coming, and allergy sufferers in America will finally get access to the care they need.
For more information visit www.unitedallergyservices.com or call 210.265.3181. United Allergy Services is located at 100 NE Loop 410, Suite 250 in San Antonio, TX 78216.
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