Founded by chief Executive Officer John Sikes and Chief Compliance Officer Jeff LeBlanc in 2003, the Baton Rouge based company got its start in nurse anesthetist staffing. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 transformed the anesthetic landscape throughout Louisiana. DPI ultimately pivoted into fee-for-service contracts, evolving into a more traditional anesthesia management company in 2007 after bringing in Chief Marketing Officer Gerry Pedersen as a partner. Chief Medical Officer Scott Gardiner became a partner in 2018.
Today, DPI engages 107 employees and credentials 350 anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists in a three-state area—Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina. The company offers several different services, from departmental management and staffing services to practice consulting and billing services.
AT A GLANCE
Top executives: John Sikes, Chief Executive Officer; Jeff LeBlanc, Chief Compliance Officer; Larry Hornsby, Chief Strategy Officer; Madison Mulkey, Chief Operating Officer; Bobby Johnson, Chief Financial Officer; Gerry Pedersen, Chief Marketing Officer; Scott Gardiner, Chief Medical Officer
Phone: 800.454.9902
Address: 8946 Interline Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Website: dpianes.com
“Our ability to grow the company when things look dire has been a constant for us over the 20-year span,” says Sikes. “I believe it’s that way because we’re always intentional about looking forward and grounded in what we do on a daily basis.”
The COVID-19 pandemic provided DPI the opportunity to expand its geographic footprint into South Carolina with successful contracts to staff two hospitals with anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists—an achievement in 2020 when hospital staffing was by and large considered a challenge.
“We took a facility that was struggling to staff any anesthesia providers at all, and had it fully staffed within three months,” Sikes says. “We completely turned the situation around for them in a very short period of time.”
