Dr. K. James Ehlen to Lead RespirTech

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 02, 2008 – St. Paul, MN – RespirTech recently announced the appointment of Dr. K. James Ehlen as Chief Executive Officer.  Dr. Ehlen, a member of the RespirTech Board of Directors since 2006, is a seasoned business executive with extensive experience in clinical medicine, managed healthcare, healthcare system management and the medical device industry.

Most recently, Dr. Ehlen served as CEO of Epien Medical. Prior to that, he served as chairman for Halleland Health Consulting - a leading Minneapolis-based consulting group with expertise in regulatory and compliance affairs, clinical and health system integration, strategy and product positioning and matters of corporate accountability including governance, ethics, and healthcare policy.

Ehlen earned his medical degree at the University of Minnesota and subsequently became board certified in endocrinology.  After service in the United States Army as Head of the Endocrinology Section at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, he devoted several years to private practice before accepting leadership positions in managed care. Ehlen served as Chairman and CEO of Medica and Physicians Health Plan of Minnesota and was the founder and co-CEO of Allina Health System.  Later, as Chief of Clinical Leadership at Humana, he was responsible for redesigning and restructuring clinical services at all levels throughout the six million member national managed care organization. He has served as a clinical professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota and as an active member of numerous corporate medical and healthcare association boards.

RespirTech is a privately owned manufacturer and distributor of the inCourage™ system, a device that uses high frequency chest compression technology to remove excess secretions from the lungs of people with impaired airway clearance. At RespirTech, Ehlen is looking forward to forging synergistic alliances to maximize the pulmonary care goals of patients, physicians and payors alike.

“Costs associated with chronic lung disease are rapidly becoming unsustainable.” Ehlen said. “The type of therapy RespirTech provides is widely accepted in the medical community as a standard of care method for managing pulmonary secretions.  New insights into the diagnosis, prevalence and management of obstructive lung disorders present significantly expanded practice improvement opportunities. The inCourage™ system has enormous potential to advance clinical outcomes while controlling care costs. I look forward to this exciting new challenge with enthusiasm.”