Marshfield Clinic Health System CEO to step down after merger | MED MOVES

Susan Turney, the CEO of the Marshfield Clinic Health System in Wisconsin for several years, has said she is stepping down in September 2023.

Susan Turney

Turney anticipates stepping down after the planned merger of Marshfield Clinic and Essentia Health. The two health systems said in October that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to examine how the two systems could come together to create a regional health system.

If Essentia and Marshfield Clinic merge, it would create a system of 25 hospitals and more than 26,000 employees. The planned merger is expected to be complete in the coming months, Marshfield Clinic said.

Turney became the organization’s first CEO in September 2014.

“My time as CEO here has been the greatest professional experience of my life, and I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together," Turney said in a statement. “Rural health care was in crisis long before COVID-19, and the pandemic deepened those challenges and created new ones. Despite those hurdles, through the last decade we have grown, executed our strategy, cared for our communities and stayed true to our values."

A Wisconsin native, Turney served for 22 years in clinical practice and administrative roles at Marshfield Clinic. She then went on to serve as CEO and executive vice president of the Wisconsin Medical Society. Later, she served as president and CEO of Medical Group Management Association/American College of Medical Practice Executives.

She then returned to become CEO of the Marshfield Clinic Health System.

Mark Bugher, chair of the Marshfield Clinic Health System board of directors, said Turney’s leadership “has transformed the organization into one of the leading rural health care systems in the country, expanding access to care for patients and communities throughout rural Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.”

Jimmy Duncan

OU Health names inaugural chief human resources officer

Jimmy Duncan has been chosen as the first chief human resources officer for OU Health in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Duncan will begin his new role in late January, the system said.

He joins OU Health from UC Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has served as senior vice president/chief human resources officer since 2020.

Duncan has worked extensively in human resources leadership in healthcare including Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Wellstar Health System, Tenet Healthcare Corporation and Banner Health.

At OU Health, Duncan will develop and execute human resource strategy in support of the organization’s business plan and strategic direction. He’ll be asked to focus on talent management, human resources operations and diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Jimmy brings a wealth of experience to OU Health as a human resources executive in healthcare,” Richard Lofgren, president and CEO of OU Health, said in a statement. “He is uniquely qualified to take on this important role as the first-ever CHRO for the entire OU Health clinical enterprise as we focus on becoming an employer of choice statewide and nationwide,” Lofgren said. “His record reflects his ability to generate transformative strategies that enhance engagement through a culture of inclusion, personal accountability and optimal operations.”

Duncan will be a member of OU Health’s executive team, reporting directly to Lofgren.

“Having a comprehensive culture and people strategic plan is an essential priority to achieving Dr. Lofgren’s vision of OU Health becoming a highly integrated, high performing academic health system for Oklahoma and the region,” Duncan said in a statement.

“I am excited to join the vibrant Oklahoma community and collaboratively champion this effort with all stakeholders who support our tripartite mission of academic, research and clinical care,” he said.

Joseph Betancourt

Commonwealth Fund names new president

Joseph R. Betancourt has been named the next president of the Commonwealth Fund.

Betancourt will become the organization’s eighth president when he takes the post Jan. 17. He will succeed David Blumenthal, who has served as president since 2013.

Betancourt currently serves as the senior vice president for equity and community health at Massachusetts General Hospital.

He will be among the first Latino heads of a national health care foundation.

“It is an honor and privilege to lead an organization that has meant so much to me personally and to so many Americans over more than a century,” Betancourt said in a statement. “Twenty-five years ago, the Commonwealth Fund propelled me into what has become an unimaginable journey in health care, and I am humbled beyond words to be given the opportunity to lead this critically important organization into the future, always remembering that our goal is to ensure access to high-quality, affordable health care, for all.”

Michael Drake, president of the University of California, and chair of the Commonwealth Fund Board of Directors, said Betancourt will bring “a critically new important new perspective and voice in health care philanthropy.”

“I cannot think of anyone better than Joe Betancourt to lead the Commonwealth Fund into the future,” Drake said in a statement. “His breadth of experience, as a physician, health system leader, and pioneer in disparities research, gives him a keen insight and a diverse toolkit for addressing the challenges U.S. health care will face in the coming years.”

The Commonwealth Fund, established in 1918, promotes improved equity and quality in healthcare, particularly among disadvantaged communities.

Carl Sirio

Temple University Health System hires chief medical officer

Carl A. Sirio, has been appointed the new chief medical officer for Temple University Health System in Philadelphia.

He takes the new role beginning January 23, 2023.

In his new role, Sirio will overse all matters related to the delivery of value-based care, quality and patient-safety efforts, medical staff governance, and much more.

“Dr. Sirio’s broad portfolio as a healthcare administrator, coupled with his clinical experience, makes him an ideal choice for TUHS’s Chief Medical Officer,” Michael A. Young, president and CEO of Temple University Health System, said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting his efforts to help position Temple Health as a national leader in quality care.”

Sirio held senior leadership positions at the University of Toledo, serving as  chief operating and clinical officer, senior associate dean for clinical affairs, vice president for medical affairs/chief medical officer and chief medical information officer.

He spent 17 years at UPMC in Pittsburgh, where he rose to full professor.

Sirio co-founded the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative, a nationally recognized effort that improved care throughout the region, Temple noted in a news release.

Abhinav Rastogi, president and CEO of Temple University Hospital and executive vice president of Temple University Health System, said in a statement, “Dr. Sirio has devoted his career to building healthcare quality, access and equity.”

Lori Spicer Robertson

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital hires diversity officer

Lori Spicer Robertson has been named the new vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Spicer Robertson joined St. Jude Children’s in the fall and succeeds the organization’s first chief diversity officer, Kelvin Womack, who retired earlier this year.

“My family operates under the motto, ‘Live in your vision, not your circumstances,’” Spicer Robertson said in a statement. “The late entertainer Danny Thomas founded St. Jude on that kind of audacious hope, and I am honored to play a part in advancing the institution’s legacy of diversity, equity and inclusion.”

She previously served as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for Saks Fifth Avenue. Before joining Saks Fifth Avenue, she founded the DEI Collective in Memphis, a cross-industry collaborative of equity leaders. She also launched Wundher, a membership community for women and mothers.

Spicer Robertson will lead organization-wide diversity, equity and inclusion training, and other programs, such as St. Jude High School Research Immersion Program.

“An intentional focus on diversity, equity and inclusion ensures an array of ideas, experiences and voices are represented in service of this mission,” James R. Downing, St. Jude president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are pleased to welcome Lori to the senior leadership team and look forward to collaborating on ways to further strengthen a culture that encourages innovation and belonging.”

Lance Jones

HCA Healthcare names CEO of 2 Virginia hospitals

Lance Jones has been named the chief executive officer of two HCA Healthcare hospitals in Virginia.

HCA Virginia, part of HCA Healthcare, said Jones will serve as CEO of Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals. He will transition to the new role in Richmond, Va., over the holidays, HCA said.

Jones previously served as the market president for HCA Healthcare’s LewisGale Regional Health System in southwest Virginia from 2018 to 2022. He previously served as CEO of StoneSprings Hospital in northern Virginia.

After moving into the private equity industry earlier this year, Jones is coming back to HCA Healthcare. He joined HCA in 2013, initially serving as CEO of Coliseum Medical Centers in Georgia.

“I am thrilled Lance is rejoining the HCA Virginia family at Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals,” William Lunn, the incoming Capital Division president and current chief executive officer of Chippenham and Johnston–Willis Hospitals, said in a statement. “His reputation for developing a strong team culture precedes him. He joins a talented group of people who are vital to the community, and I have no doubt his addition will ensure we continue providing the highest level of care.”

A native of New Zealand, Jones began his healthcare career in rehabilitation services and later assumed leadership roles in hospitals in New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.