MediTelecare Executive Team
Our leadership team has an exceptional track record within the behavioral healthcare industry. However, they each also encompass qualities that matter to us: compassion for the patients we treat, commitment to delivering evidenced based medicine via the most current technology, and consistency in representing our mission, services, and customer support. Each member of our executive team contributes to the success and growth of MediTelecare, ensuring that we embody the high standards we expect of ourselves, and that we change the life of each patient who we treat.
Ed Mercadante, BSPharm, R.Ph., D.Sc.(Hon)
Chief Executive Officer
Through his experiences in delivering premier behavioral health services to over 1500 long term care facilities he recognized that there was significant shortage of quality care in rurally situated facilities. He founded MediTelecare to improve access to world class clinical services and to introduce new mobile telemedicine technologies to patients in these facilities.
Ed’s management focus is customer and patient centered. He believes that what MediTelecare does for its patients is relevant to their overall quality of life and MediTelecare should always be striving to improve, whether in its clinical services or technologies to create better patient outcomes.
Blake Searight
Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining MediTelecare, Blake was a Vice President at Donnelly Penman & Partners (“DPP”), an investment banking firm focused on merger and acquisition transactions, valuations, and financial advisory services. Prior to DPP, Blake was an Analyst at Wolverine Capital Partners, a private investment company. Blake has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. degree in Economics and Political Science.
Randy DioGuardi
Executive Vice President of Operations
Mr. DioGuardi stands at the forefront of the fastest moving health care technology trend: Telehealth Services. Throughout his tenure Randy has built a reputation for developing cutting edge business strategies, incubating new clinical models, and building out telehealth specific programs. He joined Medoptions in 2015 to help integrate a successful telehealth model for Skilled and Assisted living facilities. Prior to that he has spent 6 years working within the federal government as a health systems specialist as a leader in the use of telemedicine and other telehealth strategies to improve the quality of veteran patient care.
After enormous industry growth and successful spinoff off Medoptions Connect to form Meditelecare Randy will help Meditelecare to set an industry standard of care.
Randy holds a MBA and bachelors degree in Management. He is also a veteran of the United States Air Force. Away from the office, Randy enjoys running, sailing, downhill skiing and spending time with his family.
Sherri Perry, MS, APRN, FNP-BC
Clinical Director of Psychiatric Nursing
Sherri Perry is clinical director of psychiatric nursing with Meditelecare. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with extensive psychiatric experience. She received her degree from Chamberlain College of Nursing and is currently working on her Doctorate of Nursing Practice at St. Augustine University for Health Sciences in St. Augustine Florida. She has always appreciated working with the geriatric population and has focused much of her career on improving the lives of those in long term care.
Sherri spent two years working with MedOptions Behavioral Health before becoming clinical director at Meditelecare. Past clinical history includes in-patient geriatric psych at Lakes Region General Hospital in NH and extensive experience in long term care facilities.
Sherri is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard search and rescue team based out of Newport Rhode Island. She is originally from Tampa, Florida, spent 35 years living in the Lakes Region of NH and recently moved to Ocala Florida in August 2017 with her husband, 10-year-old daughter and 2 Labradors.
She enjoys Cross-Fit, walking her dogs, enjoying the Florida sun, and spending time with her family.
Dr. Sherie Friedrich
Clinical Director, Department of Psychology
Dr. Friedrich received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University and completed her training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NYC. She completed a formal Postdoctoral Fellowship at Seacoast Mental Health Center and a Fellowship in psychotherapy at Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. Her experiences have been in psychiatric hospitals, community mental health settings, and in private and group practice. She has also worked as a psychological consultant conducting comprehensive evaluations for government and private institutions.
She has a special interest in lifespan development and prior to joining MedOptions she was the clinical director at a child and family practice. Dr. Friedrich has joined the MediTelecare team as the Clinical Director of the Department of Psychology. She oversees the daily clinical functions and operations of the psychology team and also works in field providing direct patient care. Her clinical interests include trauma, personality formation, and somatic illness specifically as these topics relate to geriatric patients. In her work she enjoys developing and fostering meaningful relationships both with her patients as well as with the facilities she services.
She lives at home in NH with her husband Jesse, their two sons, and a Great Dane. In her free time she loves hiking, camping, and gardening.