Bon Secours Mercy Health president is stepping down, and more | MED MOVES

Brian Smith

Brian Smith, president of Bon Secours Mercy Health, said Tuesday that he will retire Dec. 31.

Smith has spent more than three decades with the health system. He’s credited with playing a key role in the integration of Bon Secours and Mercy Health.

“When I started as a wages and benefits manager in 1990, I had no idea that Mercy Health – and later Bon Secours Mercy Health – would be my professional home for 32 years,” Smith said in a statement. “Serving this ministry and the millions of patients who come through our doors each year has been my pleasure and a true calling, and I am honored to have been a part of such a dynamic and innovative health system.”

Smith spent 22 years at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima before moving to a system-wide role in 2012.

Bon Secours Mercy Health CEO John Starcher described Smith as a “dedicated servant leader.”

“Many of our most successful initiatives are evidence of Brian’s continued operational focus and intellectual curiosity,” Starcher said in a statement. “When I think about the millions of patients we serve, the advancements we’ve made in technology and the emphasis Brian has placed on better care processes that improve the patient experience, I know it is Brian’s strong leadership that has enabled our teams to work at the top of their license.”

Bon Secours operates 48 hospitals and is one of the five largest Catholic health systems in America.

Trish Baise

ECU Health hires first chief nursing executive

Trish Baise has been hired as the first chief nursing executive of ECU Health in North Carolina.

Baise will join ECU Health on Jan. 1, 2023. In her new role, she will advance nursing care, education and research throughout the system. She joins ECU Health after serving as vice president and chief nurse executive at Atrium Health-Cabarrus.

Brian Floyd, chief operating officer of ECU Health said nursing is at the heart of the organization.

“The creation of the CNE position and the appointment of Dr. Baise to lead in this role allows our organization to innovate and collaborate to further build a nursing culture that helps recruit and retain talented nurses and care givers who are dedicated to serving our region,” Floyd said in a statement.

Baise brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience to the role.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to pioneer the Chief Nursing Executive position at ECU Health,” Baise said in a statement. “ECU Health is a recognized leader in rural health care and the organization’s mission aligns with my professional values of providing high-quality care to communities in rural environments.

“I am constantly inspired by the difference nurses make in the lives of those they care for, and I look forward to working alongside the great nurses that live the ECU Health mission every day,” she said.

Holly Elliott

HCA Gulf Coast appoints new vice president

Holly Elliott has been named the vice president of women’s and children’s services of HCA Healthcare’s Gulf Coast Division.

Elliott will take the new role beginning Jan. 1. She is currently serving as HCA Healthcare’s corporate vice prescient of women’s and children’s services.

Amy Casseri, senior vice president of physician relations, women’s and children’s services and imaging at HCA Healthcare, touted Elliott’s accomplishments.

“Holly has been instrumental in leading the corporate women’s and children’s strategic agenda,”  Casseri said in a statement. “Among many of her successes, Holly initiated HCA Healthcare’s first company-wide OB/GYN Physician Townhall focused on initiatives to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. Additionally, she coordinated the completion of our 2022 NICU cohort workshops and the consolidation of our NICU cohort 3-year strategic plan.”

Elliott will focus on developing women’s and children’s growth initiatives and coordinate best practices across the HCA Gulf Coast Division’s hospitals and women’s centers.

“Holly’s previous division experience driving high-priority initiatives and recruiting high-quality clinicians is invaluable,” Mike Lance, chief development officer at HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division, said in a statement. “Holly will be a tremendous asset to our development team yet again.”

Andy Carter

Head of Pa. hospital trade group plans to retire

Andy Carter, president and CEO of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, plans to step down next year.

Carter announced last week that he plans to retire by June 30, 2023. He has led the organization since 2012.

"Together with a truly remarkable team of dedicated professionals, we have strengthened health care in Pennsylvania by making it more accessible, affordable, and higher quality,” Carter said in a news release.

“From successfully advocating early in my tenure for Medicaid expansion, to relentlessly improving quality and safety, HAP and its members have been vigorous champions for achieving the vision of a healthy Pennsylvania.”

Carter formerly served as the president of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, and he also led the Visiting Nurse Associations of America.

The hospital association’s board of directors is undertaking a national search to find Carter’s successor. Carter plans to stay on board until his replacement is named and plans to assist in the transition, the association said.

Maggie Bonko

Orlando Health elevates leader to hospital president

Maggie Bonko has been named the new president of Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital.

Bonko will start in her new role on December 1. She has been serving as assistant vice president and chief operating officer of Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital for the past five years.

She joined Orlando Health in 2005 as a recruiter and one year later was promoted to the role of manager of recruitment. She became director of human resources in 2010 for both Orlando Health Dr. Phillips and Orlando Health-Health Central Hospital. She later served as administrator of allied health and operational support for both Orlando Health South Seminole and Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital.

“Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital is in the heart of a rapidly growing community. Maggie has the right experience and drive to match that growth inside the hospital by providing additional services and programs that will benefit our patients,” Philip Koovakada, senior vice president Orlando Health South Central region and president, Orlando Health–Health Central Hospital, said in a statement.