HealthFirst, established in 1994, is a Missouri non-profit corporation and cooperative effort between regional health care professionals, hospitals and St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri.

As the largest Physician-Hospital Organization (PHO) in the Four-States Region, HealthFirst is dedicated to providing the highest quality health care through an extensive network of hospitals and providers. Our network currently includes 15 regional hospitals and approximately 410 health care providers. It is the philosophy of our providers that individuals should have access to all health care providers without financial penalty and be allowed to choose their providers with undue influence by their health care plan.

Unlike PHO/s wholly owned by a hospital, our physician members have equal authority to elect representatives to the HealthFirst Board of Directors and through these physician directors provide equal input, control and approval on matters of PHO business. The Board of Directors consists of five directors elected by the physician members and five directors appointed by St. John’s. The current physician members of the Board of Directors are Shari Smith, DO; Alan Buchele, MD; Robert Lieurance, MD; David Dugger, MD; and Tracy Godfrey, MD. The hospital directors include Debbie Linnes, Stephen Bazzano, DO, Steve Biemdiek, Stephen Nesbit, DO, and Dick Weber.