About Ambulatory Anesthesia Solutions

Chris Youst

Chris is a co-founder and CEO of Ambulatory Anesthesia Solutions.

Chris’s leadership has grown the company to be the largest exclusive provider of outpatient anesthesia services in Michigan. Chris’s military service taught him how to adapt and overcome obstacles, allowing his company to grow in an emerging market.

Chris manages a team of 100+ anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists, who are responsible for 65,000 patients annually.

He is continually driven to improve AAS’s efficiencies to deliver the best product to Michigan’s ASCs. Chris’s focus is business development and billing optimization.

His vision is to have AAS be the benchmark and trendsetter for Michigan’s ASC anesthesia services. This passion led Chris to consult and assist in developing 17 ambulatory surgery centers. He has worked with both new ASC start-ups and in repositioning existing centers in conjunction with the owners of the ASCs.

Chris acknowledges the importance of a value-add company for an ASC, which is why he continues to gain knowledge and insight of what it takes to start and maintain a successful ASC.

Chris graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and served as an enlisted member of the U.S. Navy and an officer for the U.S. Army. Chris prides himself on being a proud father of four children and enjoys music as a self-taught guitarist.

Mark Nold

Mark is a co-founder and COO of Ambulatory Anesthesia Solutions.

Mark received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and his master’s degree from Oakland University. He is a 21-year veteran Commissioned Officer of the U.S. Army, father of four boys, and an experienced youth sports coach.

Mark’s military service and coaching experience has enabled him to build an amazing team. His focus is ensuring flawless anesthesia coverage for our ambulatory surgery center (ASC) partners, and his responsibilities include anesthesia integration, daily operations, anesthesia policies and procedures, and director of ASC development.

Mark’s service career has instilled a sense of accountability and integrity, which AAS identifies in its core values.

Over the past 12 years Mark has assisted with numerous outpatient surgery start-up projects. During his time, he has fostered Win-Win (core value) relationships throughout the Michigan market that have been key to AAS’s success. Mark’s vision has been to build the best team of anesthesia providers to service Michigan’s ASCs, enabling this market to provide high-quality, cost-effective health care.

Mark is proud of the company AAS has evolved into and is excited about the future of AAS and Michigan ASCs.

Michael Bernard, M.D.

Michael is a board certified and practicing Anesthesiologist. Dr. Bernard is the Medical Director for Ambulatory Anesthesia Solutions. Dr. Bernard oversees clinical operations for AAS. Michael’s focus is to work with each ASC partner to ensure they operate at the highest level of safety in a fiscally responsible manner. Staying true to our Solution Seeker core value, he is constantly striving to improve efficiencies with every ASC we service. Dr. Bernard oversees a team of more than 100 CRNA and Anesthesiologists and ensures each provider maintains AAS’s high-quality standards. Michael has been instrumental in increasing service lines at several surgery centers and serves as our head of physician engagement. In addition, Dr. Bernard has extensive experience in ASC development and operations. Dr. Bernard excels at ultrasound guided regional anesthesia and is constantly striving to find better methods to treat his patients’ postoperative pain.

Michael earned his B.S. from the University of Michigan and his M.D. from Wayne State University. He completed his anesthesia residency at the University of Michigan.

Mark Meitzner

Mark received his MSN in Anesthesia in 2004 from Oakland University. Upon graduation, Mark started his CRNA career at Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak and joined Ambulatory Anesthesia Solutions shortly after its founding. Mark serves as the Chief CRNA. In this capacity, Mark oversees our team of over 100 CRNAs. He works closely with our providers, surgeons, and ASC staff to ensure a consistent and high-quality anesthetic among all centers. Mark also consults with ASC management to help struggling centers improve operations.

Mark is an active member of our process improvement team as a Solution Seeker. Mark also represents AAS’s Core Value of Constantly Striving for Perfection to improve clinical operations. He oversees CRNA peer review to ensure our high standards are maintained, and his leadership helps continue our stellar track record of safe and efficient anesthesia delivery. Mark has assisted with new center start-ups to ensure a timely and cost-effective roll-out. His clinical interests include opioid-sparing anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and PONV prevention.

Jami VanHull

Jami has been with AAS since 2010 and holds a Bachelor in Business Administration, giving her a solid foundation to business principles to build from. Jami brings to the table 20 years of experience in medical operations, excellent interpersonal communication skills, and the organizational savvy to maintain services at multiple facilities.

Her personal motto and life focus perfectly align with AAS, and she is a driving force behind the positivity and cohesiveness of the core values.

Katie Cross

Katie joined the AAS team in 2015 and has a bachelor’s degree from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University. Prior to her position with AAS, she gained experience working in many aspects of ASC administration, including integrations of EMR software and development of credentialing operations. Her years of experience have given her a mindset of teamwork, allowing her to work cohesively with coworkers and clients alike. Her positive attitude has allowed her to build and maintain relationships amongst the anesthesia providers and facility administrators.

Kristine Heffelbower

Kristine holds a Bachelors in Merchandising Management from Michigan State University. Coupled with her experience in recruitment, account management, credentialing and onboarding, she reflects her dedication to ensure a positive experience and optimal outcome for all providers. Her skills blend both academic knowledge, practical expertise and position her well to navigate and enhance various aspects of the professional interaction and process.