Surgery Center Partners: Our Team

About Surgery Center Partners >> Our Team

Surgery Center Partners, Inc. was founded in 1997 by Samuel Marcus, MD and George Tinawi, MD to help other physicians build and operate ambulatory surgery centers that enhance patient care while maximizing physician efficiency and profitability.

From personal experience Drs. Marcus and Tinawi knew that planning, developing, and managing a surgery center is a complex undertaking that requires a unique set of skills, knowledge, and experience in areas such as:

Law
Finance
Real estate
Construction
Licensing and accreditation
Staffing and personnel management
Equipment and supply procurement
Payor contracts
Billing

Led by our executive team, Surgery Center Partners has assembled a professional staff with the capabilities essential for creating successful centers. Together, we ensure that our physician partners obtain all the financial and productivity benefits of owning an ambulatory surgery center without adding to their workload.

Samuel N. Marcus, MD, PhD
Co-founder
Dr. Samuel Marcus is a practicing physician in Mountain View, CA, a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, and an attending physician at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Stanford University Medical Center, and Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center. In 1997, Dr. Marcus co-founded Surgery Center Partners and its management subsidiary, SCP Management Inc. with Dr. George Tinawi. The company was established with the purpose to partner, develop, manage and operate surgery centers for physicians, by applying the experience he and Dr. Tinawi acquired from opening a center for their own practice and all the other centers they have opened. As a practicing physician, Dr. Marcus is acutely aware of the time constraints and financial demands placed upon today's physicians as they seek to provide excellent patient care. Through the 16 free-standing centers opened to date, Surgery Center Partners has helped its physician partners increase their income and professional independence without adding to their already heavy workload. A graduate of the Liverpool University School of Medicine, Dr. Marcus is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the American Gastroenterological Association, and a member of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the British Society of Gastroenterology.

George M. Tinawi, MD
Co-founder
Dr. George Tinawi, a practicing physician in Mountain View, CA from 1986 to 2004, is an entrepreneur with the vision to establish a company devoted to helping other physicians maximize their passive income through ownership in ambulatory surgical centers. Dr. Tinawi, in partnership with Dr. Samuel Marcus, established a free-standing surgery center for their own practice in 1993. Surgery Center Partners grew from their experience. Since 1997, Surgery Center Partners has grown to develop and manage 16 centers, with more in development. As a practicing physician, Dr. Tinawi developed a clear understanding of the business issues faced by physicians in today's challenging environment of capped professional fees and rising operating expenses. He understands physicians' desire to provide patients with the best possible care while ensuring that their practices attain maximum productivity and profitability. A graduate of the Medical School of University of Aleppo in Syria, Dr. Tinawi completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medicine Program and his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Southern California. He is board certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology.

Joann Zimmerman
Chief Operating Officer
Ms. Zimmerman most recently was the Senior Vice President of Operations for a large health care system in Northern California where she was responsible for all operational aspects of surgical care at fifty health care facilities. Previous responsibilities within the health care system included Quality Assurance Officer for all Northern California facilities, designing and implementing electronic medical record systems, strategic planning and implementation of clinical services for peri-operative, cardiac, pediatric, and medical/surgical programs. Ms. Zimmerman has also held previous positions as a CEO, COO, and Assistant Director of Nursing in both academic and commercial health care settings. Ms. Zimmerman is a RN trained at the St. Luke’s School of Nursing; she received her BA degree from the University of California, her MS degree from San Francisco State University, and has completed the Stanford University Executive Program. Ms. Zimmerman has numerous health care publications to her credit and has served on the Board of Trustees for the California Hospital Association and the California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.

Colin McMillan
Director of Clinical Operations
Mr. McMillan has been with SCP management since 2005. He brings with him over 25 years of experience in gastroenterology, psychiatry, long term care, emergency, public health and clinical and organizational operations in both Canada and the USA. Mr. McMillan has a proven track record of multi-site management, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, project management, and operations development in for profit, non profit and private sectors within various organizations. He has held positions of Nursing Manager, Director of Nursing, Regional Director of Quality Assurance, Administrator, Regional Administrator, and Director of Clinical Services/ Operations. He has worked with Joint Commission, AAAHC, and the CCHSA (Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation). Mr. McMillan has an Associate's Degree in Nursing from Royal Alexandra Hospitals/ University of Alberta, a Certificate in Health Services Administration from the CCHSA, and is currently completing his MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC. Canada. He is a member of the AORN, SGNA, ASOA and serves as a committee member on the Joint Commission Ambulatory Care Advisory Council.

Suzanne T. Teodecki
Director of Logistics and Informatics
Ms. Teodecki is experienced in health care operations with over 20 years in multiple leadership positions. She was most recently the Purchasing Manager and Business Manager for Perioperative Services at University of California-San Diego Medical Center. Prior to these positions, she was a clinical perfusionist for sixteen years with her most recent position at UCLA Medical Center as the Director of Perfusion Services. In addition, she as served as the Chair of the Value Analysis Committee, Technology Assessment Coordinator, Director of Quality Management, faculty at Barry University in Miami, FL and part of a Project Hope cardiac team which went to Santiago, Chile to teach pediatric perfusion.
Ms. Teodecki has a Master's degree in Administration and holds certifications in Healthcare Quality and Risk Management. She is currently enrolled in Northeastern University's Healthcare Informatics graduate certificate program.