MEET JOHN

John Zelem, MD, FACS, is the principal owner and CEO of Streamline Solutions Consulting, Inc., a company renowned for providing technology-enabled, expert physician advisor services. With a distinguished career spanning over 26 years as a Board-certified general surgeon, Dr. Zelem has transitioned seamlessly from the clinical side to healthcare executive leadership over the past 15 years. His expertise now lies in compliance, contracts and regulations, utilization review, case management, client relations, and physician education.

Throughout his executive career, Dr. Zelem has been instrumental in helping clients enhance their utilization management programs. By improving processes, he has positively impacted revenue cycles while ensuring practices remain compliant. His leadership has been pivotal in the development and refinement of physician advisor programs, where his ongoing mentoring, management, and education have fostered sustainable success.

In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Zelem continues to serve actively as a physician advisor, offering his expertise to guide healthcare organizations in achieving regulatory compliance and optimal patient care outcomes. His consulting abilities are highly sought after, as he provides strategic advice to organizations aiming to elevate their operational effectiveness and overall performance.

Dr. Zelem also has extensive experience in managing appeals and denials, educating healthcare professionals on best practices, and directly performing appeal processes. His deep understanding of these areas has been critical in minimizing inappropriate medical necessity denials and ensuring that healthcare organizations achieve appropriate lengths of stay in acute care settings.

Two key principles—Standardization and Accountability—underscore Dr. Zelem’s holistic approach. These elements are critical in ensuring that improvements are sustainable and that organizations can thrive in the long term.

Drawing on his extensive experience, Dr. Zelem has recently developed comprehensive learning courses designed to share his insights and strategies. His course "Prevention vs Correction", in conjunction with his brother, on the Teachable platform offers a deep dive into proactive strategies that can prevent issues before they require correction. Meanwhile, his Udemy course, "Organizational Silos," provides valuable guidance on breaking down barriers within organizations to foster more cohesive and productive environments.

For more information on these courses, please visit the products tab.