Your Partner in HIPAA Compliance: Meet Guarded Edge
Our tailored training solutions will empower your team with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to navigate the complexities of HIPAA's privacy and security regulations. When senior leaders develop competencies, then they know what to do to effectively manage data security across your organization.
With seven years of experience in long-term care and rehabilitation, our services meet the specific needs of nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, group homes, addiction rehabilitation centers, home health care, and behavioral health and aging services.
Our Mission
At Guarded Edge, our mission is to be a partner in upholding the trust of individuals served and the good name of your organization. We do that by equipping leaders with clear and validated processes for protecting confidentiality and data security.
Our Approach
The management of privacy and data security on a daily basis requires knowledge and detailed processes. Organizations need – and are expected to have – far more than check-the-box training or cursory oversight. Our comprehensive solutions equip senior leaders to know what to track, and tasks to assign to assure accountability across an organization.
Meet the Team
Jim Harris, CEO and Partner
As a founder and senior executive of 8+ early-stage technology companies, Jim has started companies, helped grow early-stage companies and has executed multiple exits. He has raised more than $30M in early-stage and dilutive capital to launch and scale emerging companies to 10x revenue with exits up to 10x.
As CEO of Guarded Edge, Jim brings C-level expertise in the growth management of an emerging company with exceptional market opportunity. He will be responsible for financial modeling, forecasting and controls, cap-table and data-room construction, valuation, and the investor-readiness system behind prior raises.
Jim’s expertise includes P&L experience at large firms and successful brands in Software, Audio, EdTech, FinTech, Government, Insurance, Transportation, and more.
He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan.
Bill Gaussa, COO and Partner
Bill is an operations and technology executive with more than 25 years of experience building MedTech and HealthTech businesses, from early-stage startups to a multi-billion-dollar innovation portfolio at Philips, where he served as Head of Innovation across strategic marketing, advanced research, clinical engagement, and global product management.
Bill has grown multiple portfolios into $100M+ active lines of business. He has led more than 25 commercial product launches, earned CES Innovation of the Year Awards, and has been granted 19 patents. Over the past three years he has helped drive more than $35M in capital raised and guided four startups to successful exits. He has also worked with more than 50 startups to launch their commercial operations.
At Guarded Edge, Bill leads execution across product development, go-to-market, and commercial and sales operations, and builds the operational infrastructure the company needs to scale. He also directs the technical architecture, product roadmap, and validation plan, applying lean-startup methods and AI and data capabilities to a HIPAA-compliance workflow platform. His healthcare IT market knowledge and clinical validation experience strengthen the company's positioning with regulated buyers and healthcare IT investors.
He holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon.
Diane Evans, Founder and HIPAA Expert
Since 2016, Diane Evans has led the development of management processes that allow organizations to achieve HIPAA compliance. Diane writes extensively on HIPAA compliance issues, and her work has been published in Compliance Today, the peer-reviewed journal of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), The Compliance & Ethics blog, and McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
In addition, Diane has authored and conducted accredited training programs on HIPAA compliance for state and national associations, including HCCA. Her work in education extends to the legal community, where she has provided Continuing Legal Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.
In her previous work as a journalist for the Akron Beacon Journal, she wrote a column that was distributed internationally by the Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. Early in her career, her work was included in a submission that won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Beacon Journal.
.
Michelle Bermea, Co-Founder & HIPAA Expert
Through consulting and training development, Michelle Bermea excels in assessing the foundational structures necessary for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). With a Juris Doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law, earned in 2012 with a specialization in health law, Michelle brings a unique blend of legal expertise and healthcare knowledge to her role.
Prior to specializing in data security under HIPAA, Michelle gained valuable experience at esteemed institutions such as the Advisory Board Company, a renowned healthcare research firm. Her professional journey also includes roles at the U.S. Capitol and the International Monetary Fund, where she honed her analytical skills and deepened her understanding of regulatory frameworks.
Michelle Bermea's dedication to evaluating and mitigating organizational risks under HIPAA is rooted in her passion for ensuring the integrity of healthcare systems and protecting patient privacy. With her comprehensive background and commitment to excellence, Michelle plays a pivotal role in empowering organizations to navigate the complexities of HIPAA compliance with confidence.