About our company
Periscope’s expert, objective, and timely assessments provide clients the information they need to make accurate decisions.
Founded in 1998, our company emerged as a specific solution to a single client pain point.
In 2008, the company incorporated as DME Consulting Group, Inc. (DME-CG), which then focused on a value-based delivery model for medically vulnerable individuals that drove cost-effective medical decisions for our health plan partners. Thanks to our team’s dedication to excellence and our clients trust in our ability curate solutions to areas that matter most, we have significantly expanded our service offering by expanding our clinical expertise and clinical disciplines. Our growing national team of licensed clinical consultants and reviewers now cover over 23 million lives and approach 100,000 completed assessments in all fifty states.
Periscope’s expert, objective, and timely assessments provide clients the information they need to make accurate decisions.
Our dynamic team works closely with clients to understand their needs, desired outcomes and assist in a course of action. Our expanded service portfolio and collaborative approach lead to great opportunities to tailor solutions unique to our clients.
Our team is dedicated to deliver the information you need!
Meet our executive team
Jim Aguilar
Chief Executive Officer
Jim Aguilar is the Founder and CEO of Periscope, a fast-growing national company which provides clients the information they need to make accurate medical decisions. In 1998, Jim founded Periscope with a vision to mitigate the risk of medically vulnerable individuals through early detection and empower key decision makers to right-size healthcare. Before Periscope, Jim co-owned and operated outpatient rehabilitation facilities throughout Northern California’s Bay Area. Jim earned his B.S. in Physical Therapy at SUNY Buffalo and Executive MBA at Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business. He was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in Northeastern NJ and Catskills.
Lauren Fontes
VP of Operations
Lauren obtained her bachelor’s degree in physiological science from University of California, Los Angeles and her master’s in physical therapy at University of California, San Francisco. Lauren has worked as a clinician and supervisor in a variety of settings including outpatient pediatrics, acute care adult and pediatrics, neonatal intensive care unit, acute rehab units, long term care facilities and home health settings. She joined the DME Consulting Group in 2012 as an independent consultant, promoting to reviewer and Regional Clinical Director in 2020. As the Regional Clinical Director she leads the recruiting effort nationwide, trains and assist with clinical education and quality assurance. Lauren lives on the Central coast and enjoys being outdoors with family and traveling whenever she can.
Jerry Knight
Senior Advisor
Jerry joined Periscope in 2014 as Vice President for Business Development and assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2017 as the company expanded rapidly across the country. Today Jerry focuses on relationship management, clinical network development, business development, and supports operations that serve our partners nationally.
Jerry has over four decades of post-acute health care experience and prior to Periscope held C-Level leadership roles in the complex rehab technology sector, health care IT sector, and home health
industry.
Jerry served on the Board of Visiting Nurse Associations of America for over 18 years.
Jerry is a graduate of VA Tech and currently resides in South Carolina.
Mike Birkhead
Chief Information Officer
Michael Birkhead has led Periscope Engineering, Security and Operations teams since 2018 and is credited with Periscope’s platform redesign and corporate transformation. In his twenty-five years in technology, Birkhead has served in leadership roles in Fortune 50 organizations and software startup companies.
Birkhead holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and Bachelor of Arts from U.C. Berkeley.
Bob McQuaid
Chief Analytics Officer
Dr. McQuaid has an extensive data science background with an emphasis on transforming data into actionable insights and measurable business benefits. His primary role at Periscope is to set strategic priorities accelerating movement toward a more analytics-driven company. He works in close collaboration with business and IT functions to understand needs, generate business value, and communicate results. He has been teaching MBA and MS courses at Pepperdine University since 1998 in Decision Sciences and Information Systems. For the past ten years, he has focused primarily on developing the advanced analytics curriculum and courses. Before joining Pepperdine University, he spent two decades in a variety of engineering and management positions with U.S. Steel, General Dynamics, and Abbott Laboratories. Bob has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, an MBA from Texas Christian University, and a Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of North Texas.
Kristin McNealus
VP of Operations
Kristin received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Boston University, and went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions. She received my MBA from Pepperdine University in 2016, and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. She is a neurological physical therapist who has worked in all therapy settings, and founded an online exercise program for people with disabilities. She has her ATP certification, and has perform numerous seating evaluations for people with various diagnoses. Kristin started consulting with Periscope in 2012, and became VP of Operations in 2023. She enjoys endurance sports, and traveling.
Gina Zilmer
National Director of Operations
Gina brings 30+ years of healthcare experience. She has been with Periscope since its inception in 1997. Gina’s role has evolved over the years as Periscope’s technology and services have expanded. Gina manages our Client Services Team ensuring optimum client experiences, to include oversight of Periscope’s ever growing clinical network. Development of strong partner relationships is at the foundation of Periscope’s success with internal and external customers. Gina has a proven track record of success managing and developing processes, policies, and workflow optimization to support Periscope’s growth.
In her free time, Gina enjoys quality time with her family and pets, boating, fishing, kickboxing and extravagant cake baking/decorating and anything artistic. Gina has 3 sons and 4 grandchildren and currently lives in Central Florida with her husband and youngest son.
Robin Eitland
Vice President of Compliance and HR
As a dedicated professional with over 20 years of combined experience in Human Resources and Compliance, Robin has developed comprehensive expertise in employee relations, risk management, regulatory compliance, policy development, and strategic workforce planning. Her background includes leading complex investigations, implementing enterprise-wide compliance programs, and managing full-cycle HR operations for organizations. She has successfully navigated multiple federal and state audits, developed robust training programs, and maintained compliance records across HIPAA, OSHA, and employment regulations. She has extensive experience in pre-emption analysis, gap analysis, and risk management. Her approach combines strategic thinking with practical implementation, ensuring both compliance requirements and human capital needs are met while fostering positive workplace cultures. She has a proven track record in developing policies that not only meet regulatory requirements but also support organizational growth.
Tracey Birkhead
Human Resource Advisor
An experienced People Officer, Tracey Birkhead has spent twenty-five years creating human resource strategies that benefit organizations, one person at a time. Tracey started with Periscope in 2019 and established Periscope’s first benefits program, and corporate compliance department. Prior to Periscope, Tracey was a partner in a national benefits consulting working with corporate executives to manage risk and human resource strategies. Tracey is a licensed health and life insurance broker in 6 states.
Hilary Gans
Regional Clinical Director
Hilary graduated with her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2002, from Gannon University. She has worked in a variety of settings, to include inpatient and outpatient facilities, home health, and utilization management. She worked on a consultant basis for Periscope for several years before joining the company full time in 2020. Hilary became CAPS certified in 2021 and works closely with the home modification and worker’s compensation line of business within Periscope. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania.
Steve Tan
Learning Advisor
Over the last 19 years, Steve has thrived in various field based and corporate headquarter leadership roles within legacy pharmaceutical and start-up bio-pharma companies. He has received a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from California State University Sacramento and an Executive MBA from the Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School. Over the past 8 years, he has developed commercial launch and growth learning strategies for commercial teams in both domestic and international markets. Steve will advise the learning and development framework at Periscope for the current and future state of the organization.
Jim Aguilar
Chief Executive Officer
Jim Aguilar is the Founder and CEO of Periscope, a fast-growing national company which provides clients the information they need to make accurate medical decisions. In 1998, Jim founded Periscope with a vision to mitigate the risk of medically vulnerable individuals through early detection and empower key decision makers to right-size healthcare. Before Periscope, Jim co-owned and operated outpatient rehabilitation facilities throughout Northern California’s Bay Area. Jim earned his B.S. in Physical Therapy at SUNY Buffalo and Executive MBA at Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business. He was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in Northeastern NJ and Catskills.
Lauren Fontes
VP of Operations
Lauren obtained her bachelor’s degree in physiological science from University of California, Los Angeles and her master’s in physical therapy at University of California, San Francisco. Lauren has worked as a clinician and supervisor in a variety of settings including outpatient pediatrics, acute care adult and pediatrics, neonatal intensive care unit, acute rehab units, long term care facilities and home health settings. She joined the DME Consulting Group in 2012 as an independent consultant, promoting to reviewer and Regional Clinical Director in 2020. As the Regional Clinical Director she leads the recruiting effort nationwide, trains and assist with clinical education and quality assurance. Lauren lives on the Central coast and enjoys being outdoors with family and traveling whenever she can.
Jerry Knight
Senior Advisor
Jerry joined Periscope in 2014 as Vice President for Business Development and assumed the role of ChiefOperating Officer in 2017 as the company expanded rapidly across the country. Today Jerry focuses on relationship management, clinical network development, business development, and supports operations that serve our partners nationally.
Jerry has over four decades of post-acute health care experience and prior to Periscope held C-Level leadership roles in the complex rehab technology sector, health care IT sector, and home health
industry.
Jerry served on the Board of Visiting Nurse Associations of America for over 18 years.
Jerry is a graduate of VA Tech and currently resides in South Carolina.
Mike Birkhead
Chief Information Officer
Michael Birkhead has led Periscope Engineering, Security and Operations teams since 2018 and is credited with Periscope’s platform redesign and corporate transformation. In his twenty-five years in technology, Birkhead has served in leadership roles in Fortune 50 organizations and software startup companies.
Birkhead holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and Bachelor of Arts from U.C. Berkeley.
Bob McQuaid
Chief Analytics Officer
Dr. McQuaid has an extensive data science background with an emphasis on transforming data into actionable insights and measurable business benefits. His primary role at Periscope is to set strategic priorities accelerating movement toward a more analytics-driven company. He works in close collaboration with business and IT functions to understand needs, generate business value, and communicate results.
He has been teaching MBA and MS courses at Pepperdine University since 1998 in Decision Sciences and Information Systems. For the past ten years, he has focused primarily on developing the advanced analytics curriculum and courses. Before joining Pepperdine University, he spent two decades in a variety of engineering and management positions with U.S. Steel, General Dynamics and Abbott Laboratories. Bob has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, an MBA from Texas Christian University, and a Ph.D. in Managment Science from the University of North Texas.
Gina Zilmer
National Director of Operations
Gina brings 30+ years of healthcare experience. She has been with Periscope since its inception in 1997. Gina’s role has evolved over the years as Periscope’s technology and services have expanded. Gina manages our Client Services Team ensuring optimum client experiences, to include oversight of Periscope’s ever growing clinical network. Development of strong partner relationships is at the foundation of Periscope’s success with internal and external customers. Gina has a proven track record of success managing and developing processes, policies, and workflow optimization to support Periscope’s growth.
In her free time, Gina enjoys quality time with her family and pets, boating, fishing, kickboxing and extravagant cake baking/decorating and anything artistic. Gina has 3 sons and 4 grandchildren and currently lives in Central Florida with her husband and youngest son.
Steve Tan
Learning Advisor
Over the last 19 years, Steve has thrived in various field based and corporate headquarter leadership roles within legacy pharmaceutical and start-up bio-pharma companies. He has received a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from California State University Sacramento and an Executive MBA from the Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School. Over the past 8 years, he has developed commercial launch and growth learning strategies for commercial teams in both domestic and international markets. Steve will advise the learning and development framework at Periscope for the current and future state of the organization.
Robin Eitland
Vice President of Compliance and HR
As a dedicated professional with over 20 years of combined experience in Human Resources and Compliance, Robin has developed comprehensive expertise in employee relations, risk management, regulatory compliance, policy development, and strategic workforce planning. Her background includes leading complex investigations, implementing enterprise-wide compliance programs, and managing full-cycle HR operations for organizations. She has successfully navigated multiple federal and state audits, developed robust training programs, and maintained compliance records across HIPAA, OSHA, and employment regulations. She has extensive experience in pre-emption analysis, gap analysis, and risk management. Her approach combines strategic thinking with practical implementation, ensuring both compliance requirements and human capital needs are met while fostering positive workplace cultures. She has a proven track record in developing policies that not only meet regulatory requirements but also support organizational growth.
Tracey Birkhead
Director of Human Resources
An experienced People Officer, Tracey Birkhead has spent twenty-five years creating human resource strategies that benefit organizations, one person at a time. Tracey started with Periscope in 2019 and established Periscope’s first benefits program, and corporate compliance department. Prior to Periscope, Tracey was a partner in a national benefits consulting working with corporate executives to manage risk and human resource strategies. Tracey is a licensed health and life insurance broker in 6 states.
Hilary Gans
Regional Clinician Director
Hilary graduated with her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2002, from Gannon University. She has worked in a variety of settings, to include inpatient and outpatient facilities, home health, and utilization management. She worked on a consultant basis for Periscope for several years before joining the company full time in 2020. Hilary became CAPS certified in 2021 and works closely with the home modification and worker’s compensation line of business within Periscope. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania.
Kristin McNealus
VP of Operations
Kristin received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Boston University, and went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions. She received my MBA from Pepperdine University in 2016, and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. She is a neurological physical therapist who has worked in all therapy settings, and founded an online exercise program for people with disabilities. She has her ATP certification, and has perform numerous seating evaluations for people with various diagnoses. Kristin started consulting with Periscope in 2012, and became VP of Operations in 2023. She enjoys endurance sports, and traveling.
