CommonSpirit Health chooses chief operating officer, and more | MED MOVES

Terika Richardson has been named senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of CommonSpirit Health.

Terika Richardson (CommonSpirit Health)

Richardson began in the new role on Dec. 11. She joins the system’s executive leadership team and reports to CEO Wright Lassiter III.

“CommonSpirit Health provides exceptional care in communities across this country, all with unique needs,” Richardson said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues and teammates to make our care even more relevant to the needs of our communities and in ensuring that we are fully optimizing all of our systems and resources to deliver expert, quality care every day.”

Before joining CommonSpirit, Richardson served as the chief operating officer at Ardent Health Services in Tennessee, which operates 30 hospitals and 200 healthcare sites. Richardson also served as the president of Advocate Health Care’s Chicagoland market. And she served as the president of two of the health system’s hospitals, Lutheran General and Trinity/South Suburban.

She also spent 14 years with HCA Healthcare, where she held various leadership positions.

Richardson serves on the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees.

O’Neil A. Britton (Mass General Brigham)

Mass General Brigham appoints chief integration officer

O’Neil A. Britton already held a key leadership role at Mass General Brigham, but now he has an expanded role in the organization.

Mass General Brigham has named Britton as the new chief integration officer. He had been serving as senior vice president of operations and associate chief operating officer since 2021.

Now, Britton will work with leaders across the system to spur collaboration across the system and develop new ways to serve patients.

“My experience has taught me that there is excellence everywhere you turn in our system,” Britton said in a statement. “We are just scratching the surface of our potential. There is so much opportunity, so much more to be gained by being unified and innovative in our work to improve the experiences of our patients and caregivers.”

Britton will also lead efforts to improve access and expand capacity to be sure patients get the care they need, the system said. He will oversee the system’s Healthcare at Home, including its home hospital program and population health management.

"Dr. Britton is a highly regarded leader who has proven his ability to inspire teams and successfully manage complex, organization-wide change," Anne Klibanski, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham, said in a statement. "With his experience as a clinician caring for patients and a leader at the hospital and system levels, he is ideally suited to lead Mass General Brigham through the next phases of our clinical integration."

Robert Fitzgerald (Corewell Health)

Corewell Health appoints president of children’s hospital

Robert Fitzgerald has been named the new president of Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Fitzgerald began serving as interim president and pediatric department chair in February 2023. He is a board-certified pediatric intensive care physician.

“I’m honored and excited to be able to continue this legacy as president of an exceptional children’s hospital,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “I plan to model my leadership on quality and safety as the core for pediatric care with a specific lens on teamwork and team-based care.”

Alejandro Quiroga, president of Corewell Health in West Michigan, said Fitzgerald brings “exceptional” experience and knowledge of the hospital.

“Under his leadership, our hospital will continue to provide the best care for our youngest patients while working to increase access to lifesaving and innovative treatments,” Quiroga said in a statement.

Fitzgerald joined Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in 2002 as a pediatric intensivist. He has served as the hospital’s section chief for pediatric intensive care and division chief of acute care medicine.

Denise Kvapil (Saint Vincent Hospital)

Saint Vincent Hospital selects chief nursing officer

Denise Kvapil has been named the chief nursing officer of Saint Vincent Hospital.

In her new role, Kvapil will serve as the chief nursing officer of the organization’s Massachusetts market. In her role, she will oversee nursing operations for MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Natick, Mass.

"I’m excited to have Denise as a member of our leadership team," Carolyn Jackson, CEO of Saint Vincent Hospital and the Massachusetts market, said in a statement. "She is an experienced nurse leader who has successfully driven improvements in nursing culture, quality, safety and patient satisfaction."

She has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare field and has held numerous hospital administration roles. Previously, Kvapil served as the chief nursing and operations officer at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. She was also chief nursing officer at Palm Beach Gardens.

Kvapil also served as the vice president of patient care operations/chief nursing officer at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Before entering healthcare leadership, Kvapil served in the United States Marines from 1986 to 1992.