metro »
continued from page 10
“A key to being more plugged into my
Jewish identity is Lauren Kerwin, who has
been my true ace for
many years,” Farbman
says. “She rubbed off on
me and helped me plug
into the community by
providing me guidance
in my thought process
around the community.”
Kerwin is nearing her
David Farbman
fourth year of working
with Farbman — first at
his Carbon Media Group,
a successful online media firm based in
Bingham Farms, and now at HealthRise
Solutions, which he currently leads.
NEXT TARGET
Farbman, the Berkley High School and
Michigan State University graduate who
started doing cleanup jobs as a youngster,
then began “flipping” houses in college —
after fixing them up himself — is now on
the hunt for talent to turn HealthRise into a
world-class company.
The business is located in an office build-
ing on Nine Mile Road in Southfield, a short
commute from where Farbman’s grandpar-
ents lived and where his father, Burt, built
his highly successful real estate corporation.
HealthRise Solutions is a company
focused on improving revenue and opera-
tional efficiencies for hospitals through data
analytics, technology changes and other
process adjustments. The business, profit-
able since the beginning when it partnered
with Oakwood Healthcare (now part of
Beaumont Health), is already working with
five hospitals in Louisiana and Michigan,
where it continues to have the bulk of its
business.
On the building’s 10th floor, which his
firm took over completely, he’s leading an
operation that in less than three years has
grown from a handful of team members
that could fit around a kitchen table to a
growing staff of nearly 60 and an increasing
client base.
His ambitious national growth plans tar-
get finishing 2016 with 75 employees.
Last month, HealthRise Solutions
announced the inaugural members of its
advisory board. Among them are Florine
Mark, president and CEO of the WW Group
Inc.; David Victor, president and CEO,
American Educational Institute, a national,
accredited sponsor of continuing education
for physicians, dentists, attorneys and affili-
ated healthcare professionals; Andrew Echt,
COO of Arbor Investments and director of
Applebaum Family Philanthropy; and Dr.
David Madgy, chief of the otolaryngology
department at Detroit Medical Center.
“By leading with passion, David Farbman
has created an organizational culture at
HealthRise that is passionate about innova-
tion, excellence and the success of their
clients,” Victor says.
At the office, these company core values are clearly visible.
“In today’s challenging healthcare envi-
ronment, providers ensuring they’re paid
for all services rendered is no longer a ‘nice
to do;’ it’s a ‘must do,’” Victor says. “This
isn’t just a key component of fiscal health
for healthcare organizations, it’s now an
important piece of the national healthcare
affordability puzzle.
“HealthRise’s successes to date have been
profound, not marginal, and they’re just get-
ting started. I’m excited to be involved with
a Michigan-based company positioned to
have such important impact.”
Farbman’s leadership style all comes back
to the hustle, the sense of urgency and the
commitment to the bottom line his father
embodied as he built his small real estate
firm into the formidable Farbman Group,
a full-service real estate company. David
Farbman succeeds most notably because of
his entrepreneurial skills and his passion for
people, relationships and leadership.
It also comes full circle for him as
HealthRise Solutions is one more way to
further his family’s goal of creating jobs in
Metro Detroit.
David’s brother, Andy Farbman, serves
as CEO of the Farbman Group and is also
an investor and active board member of
HealthRise Solutions. Andy is not surprised
at all by his brother’s success. He feels David
has the ability to create a lasting enterprise.
“There’s clearly a major consolidation in
the healthcare industry; Obamacare created
an enormous opportunity to consolidate
within the revenue-cycle business,” Andy
says. “There’s clearly a need for more entre-
preneurship in the industry as well.
“David and I constantly feel a commit-
ment to Southeast Michigan, where the
Farbman Group headquarters remains. We
believe it’s a compelling place for growth
because of the talent in the area and the
readily available, qualified people with
entrepreneurial spirit.”
REVERSING BRAIN DRAIN
What brings David Farbman the most
excitement is the impact business creation
has on people’s lives. As he’s grown his
business, he’s been assisted by Federation’s
NEXTGen Detroit department to connect
with young talent and spread the message
to young adults considering the move to
Detroit about the growing startup opportu-
nities that exist in this community.
Last year, he spoke to a sold-out
NEXTWork networking event crowd about
how his business skills and leadership style
could inspire more entrepreneurialism in
Detroit. He mentioned lessons shared in
his 2014 book, The Hunt: Target, Track and
Attain Your Goals.
At HealthRise, he’s building a company
culture that empowers its workers in an
open, hip office setting that includes a gym,
a collaborative culture and a build-out to
add several thousand square feet of space.
Jeff Berkowitz is one of several young
community members who have been able
to stay in the area because of opportuni-
ties at HealthRise. Berkowitz moved from
Michigan to Los Angeles in 2010 to work
in the emergency department at Ronald
Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He had
experience in medical device sales and had
worked on the intermediate care unit at the
University of Michigan
Health System. In 2013,
he decided to move back
home; LA never felt
like home to the West
Bloomfield native. Even
in LA, he was drawn
to the excitement in
Michigan circling around
Jeff Berkowitz
the “comeback of Detroit.”
It caught his attention,
and he wanted to be a
part of that comeback story.
After Berkowitz returned, Federation con-
nected him with Farbman and the newly
organized HealthRise team.
“Being one of a small group of original
hires, I’ve enjoyed seeing our company
develop into a unique culture that stands by
and celebrates our established core values,”
Berkowitz says. “One of these core values
is our ability to always build and maintain
healthy relationships both internally and
externally. David is a huge advocate of build-
ing relationships through authenticity and
accountability.
“At HealthRise, we are encouraged every
day to be our authentic selves. This puts us
in the most effective position for achieving
results and building loyal and trustworthy
relationships with our internal coworkers
and external partners.
“To me, the people at HealthRise are not
just my coworkers, they are also like my sec-
ond family. It’s a place that encourages me to
grow both professionally and personally, a
chance for me to share my experiences and
mentor others in attaining their goals and,
equally important, an opportunity for me to
leave my positive impact on the American
health system and those involved every day
in this exciting industry.”
Another young Jewish employee is
Traci Gordon, a native
of Florida, who studied
economics, mathematics
and business at Brandeis
University. While there,
she met her fiancee,
native Detroiter Michael
Baum. He connected
Traci with NEXTGen,
which quickly led to
Traci Gordon
David Farbman and
HealthRise. She is now
in her second year as an analyst, working
to find ways to better measure and improve
processes for hospital transactions.
“Working for HealthRise is an amazing
continued on page 13
12 March 31 • 2016