Intermountain Healthcare names new CEO, and more | MED MOVES

Rob Allen

Rob Allen has been named the new president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare.

Allen has been Intermountain's chief operating officer. Allen will succeed Lydia Jumonville, Intermountain’s interim president and CEO, on Dec. 1. Jumonville will serve as Intermountain's executive sponsor of integration until the end of 2023, when she plans to retire.

Marc Harrison, who served as Intermountain’s CEO for six years, said in August he was stepping down. Harrison accepted a new position to run a healthcare platform business for General Catalyst.

Intermountain, a nonprofit system, operates 33 hospitals and 385 clinics  in seven states. Earlier this year, Intermountain completed a merger with SCL Health.

“I’m humbled and proud to have this leadership opportunity, working with our incredible team of caregivers and providers,” Allen said in a statement.

“Each of us has the privilege to build on Intermountain’s legacy and carry forward our mission and charge to be a model health system that inspires the world,” he said. “Intermountain is a place for big ideas and even bigger hearts. I’m confident that we will continue helping people live the healthiest lives possible.”

Allen joined Intermountain in 2008 and has been chief operating officer of the system for six years.

He has 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare and previously served as the CEO of hospitals in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wyoming. Intermountain said Allen was selected after a search that included leading candidates from across the country.

Mike Leavitt, chair of Intermountain’s board of trustees and the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said in a statement, “Rob embodies the Intermountain values and will provide steady, servant leadership to the organization. He has always put our patients and caregivers first.”

Paul Berg

MyMichigan Health selects chief medical officer

Paul Berg has been named chief medical officer of MyMichigan Health.

Berg will oversee the medical staff, graduate medical education, clinical quality, and population health. He succeeds Lydia Watson, who begins her appointment as president and CEO of the Midland-based health system on Dec. 1.

Watson said in a statement that Berg “will be a tremendous resource as we continue to elevate standards of care.

“He has a proven track record for physician leadership and has demonstrated his expertise in both clinical and quality operations, especially during the pandemic. Dr. Berg has a true gift in cultivating relationships with our health care providers which pours over into the quality care we provide our patients.”

Berg, a family physician, has been with MyMichigan since 2005 and has served as president of MyMichigan Medical Group since Feb. 2018.

“I look forward to continue working with our teams to tackle the many challenges the healthcare system faces as we navigate the post-pandemic world,” Berg said in a statement. “I’m eager to take on that important work ahead and carry on the legacy Dr. Watson has established as the previous chief medical officer.”

He also plans to continue caring for patients. “I have been active as a hospitalist since March of this year on our Midland campus,” he said. “I enjoy my work with direct patient care and want to continue with that moving forward.”

MyMichigan Health operates nine hospitals and serves nearly 1 million people in a 25-county region.

Dawnette Lewis

Northwell Health announces director for maternal health center

Dawnette Lewis has been named the new director of Northwell Health’s Center for Maternal Health.

She’ll lead the center in its mission to reduce maternal mortality. More than four out of five maternal deaths are avoidable, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in September. Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes as white women.

“The risks Black women face during and after pregnancy and childbirth are a shameful illustration of the disparities that continue to diminish the well-being of our nation,” Michael Dowling, Northwell Health’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

“Dr. Lewis has long been a leader in the effort to eliminate the inequities that produce these deplorable risks,” Dowling said. “We are confident that she will lead the Center to success as we provide the resources and do the work to ensure that Black women and their babies get the care and attention they need not just to survive but thrive.”

Lewis has practiced for more than 20 years in maternal-fetal medicine. She is also physician lead for the New York State Birth Equity Improvement Project.

“Supporting birthing people before, during and after pregnancy is one of the highest responsibilities a society has, and Northwell Health has made a commitment to decrease the risks that have unfairly burdened Black birthing people and their babies,” Lewis said in a statement. “I’m proud to help guide the health system in keeping that commitment and ensuring that all women are given the tools they need to stay safe while bringing life into the world.”

President Biden’s administration has focused on improving mental health. At the HLTH Conference this week, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said, “It’s really a disgrace where our country is in maternal health outcomes.”

Kimberly Shaw

Texas health system announces new president

Kimberly Shaw has been selected to serve as president of St. Joseph Health, which operates five hospitals in Texas.

She will begin her new role Dec. 27. St. Joseph Health is a member of St. Luke’s Health and part of CommonSpirit Health.

Shaw has more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, including Catholic and faith-based hospitals within CommonSpirit Health. She has been serving as the president of Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican San Martin in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the past three years.

“I’m excited to return to Texas, where I have deep family roots, in this important role with a health care system as impactful at St. Luke’s Health,” Shaw said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with the compassionate team of caregivers at St. Joseph Health to continue delivering the high quality compassionate care our communities deserve and have come to expect.”

St. Luke’s Health CEO Doug Lawson said he has the “highest confidence” in Shaw’s leadership skills.

Kim is an inspirational, servant leader who understands the challenges at the bedside for frontline staff and the importance of delivering compassionate high quality care to our communities,” Lawson said in a statement.

St. Luke’s Health operates 16 general hospitals in Texas.