This month we welcome

Lauren Williams Hopkins, MPH

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AVP Virtual Care & Community Engagement

AU Health, Inc.

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Associate Director, Clinical Operations, Georgia Center for Telemedicine

Augusta University

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      Lauren Williams Hopkins, MPH, has been with AU Health, in Augusta, Georgia since April 2016.  Mrs. Hopkins is tasked with leading all value-based initiatives for the provider practice plan.  Lauren is responsible for the operational performance of shared savings arrangements and incentive programs, chronic care management, transitional care management, Medicare’s Quality Payment Program, program oversight of post-acute care development and community partnerships and the newly launched quality program, GA-AIDE.  Mrs. Hopkins was tasked with the administrative oversight of the organization’s telehealth and virtual care programs in 2019.  This included development of a rural Tele-Emergency Department and Critical Care program, direct to consumer platform, and partnerships for outreach clinics.  Mrs. Hopkins is has also partnered with the Medical College of Georgia, Georgia’s state medical school, to develop telehealth curriculum for medical students and residents. 

     In her new role as AVP Virtual Care and Community Engagement, Lauren will continue to expand the virtual care rural network along with improving local community relationships that assist patients with needs that exist outside of the health system. 

Mrs. Hopkins received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and graduate degree in Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Health Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg.  Lauren came to AU Health from Pioneer Health Services, where she served in a variety of roles from Administrator and Associate Administrator for five plus years.  In 2014, Lauren began working for the company’s value-based department, Rural Solutions, as Director of Network Development and Strategic Alignment for their Medicare Shared Savings Accountable Care Organization.  In this role, she was responsible for developing and managing partnerships with existing and new partners in the ACO,

managing and disseminating all reporting for the financial performance of the ACO and helped align the strategic vision of improving rural health care in the southeastern United States.

     Lauren currently resides in Waynesboro, Georgia, with her husband, Hank, and fur babies, Brutus, and Boomer.  Lauren has a passion for healthcare policy and rural healthcare.  In her spare time, she enjoys running, reading, cheering on her Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Georgia Southern Eagles.  Lauren also serves as the Chapter Advisor for Kappa Delta Sorority at Georgia Southern University.