Prime Healthcare names system’s first president, and more | MED MOVES

Sunny Bhatia, MD, has tackled a number of leadership roles at Prime Healthcare, and now he’s taking on a newly created post.

Sunny Bhatia, MD

Bhatia has been named the first system president of Prime Healthcare, which operates 44 hospitals around the country. Prime recently reached a deal to acquire nine Illinois hospitals from the Ascension health system.

He has served as chief medical officer of Prime Healthcare and as CEO of Prime’s Region 1, overseeing hospitals and properties on the West Coast. He joined the organization in 2011 and is a quadruple board-certified interventional cardiologist.

“It’s my honor and privilege to serve and expand Prime Healthcare’s mission to preserve and improve community hospitals across our nation,” Bhatia said in a statement. “I am continually inspired by the work of our physicians and staff. This is a pivotal time in the healthcare industry, and I am confident that Prime’s commitment to ensuring health equity and social responsibility will ultimately improve the health and well-being of all those we serve.”

Prem Reddy, MD, will continue his role as founder, chairman and CEO of Prime Healthcare. Reddy hailed Bhatia’s “visionary leadership.”

“I am confident that Dr. Bhatia’s clinical, operational and financial judgment, strategic growth expertise and excellent partnerships with physicians will unify and strengthen the mission of Prime as we continue to grow and transform community healthcare,” Reddy said in a statement.

Laurie Glimcher, MD, and Benjamin Ebert, MD

Dana-Farber CEO stepping down, successor named

Laurie Glimcher, MD, is stepping down as president and chief executive officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

She plans to step down on Oct. 1. Benjamin Ebert, MD, has been named Dana-Farber’s next president and CEO.

Glimcher was the first woman to lead Dana-Farber. She took the post in October 2016. Last year, she brokered a new partnership between Dana-Farber and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and they’re building a new hospital for cancer patients. Dana-Farber is also moving away from its long relationship with Mass General Brigham.

Looking back at her time at Dana-Farber, Glimcher said, “I am intensely proud of what we have achieved in providing world class care for our patients, leading in innovation, and discovering new treatments and cures.”

“This is the perfect time for me to pass the leadership of this remarkable institution on to the next generation, and return my focus to cancer immunology research," Glimcher said in a statement.

Ebert will take over as Dana-Farber’s president and CEO starting Oct. 1. He’s been serving as Dana-Farber’s chair of the department of medical oncology.

He said he’s “extraordinarily honored” to lead the cancer system.

“Dana-Farber is truly a remarkable organization and a global leader in innovation, and in caring and advocating for cancer patients,” Ebert said in a statement. “Together with our executive leadership team, I will continue to advance a patient-first model as we open this new chapter.”

Simon Nazarian

City of Hope hires chief digital officer

Simon Nazarian has been named the new executive vice president and chief digital and technology officer of City of Hope, the cancer treatment and research system.

He begins his new role today.

Nazarian possesses more than 25 years of experience in the field. He previously served as chief information officer at Optum Health-Care Delivery. He also has worked with McKinsey and Company, Kaiser Permanente, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Nazarian said is “truly honored” to join City of Hope.

“Its mission and deep focus on patients personally resonate with me. I am looking forward to partnering with cancer experts and dedicated teams across our national system of care to apply advanced technologies and insights that will create an even more seamless experience for our patients and care teams.”

Robert Stone, City of Hope’s chief executive officer, said Nazarian will play an important role in the organization, since technology is critical to improving cancer care.

“His deep experience will help our teams harness the power of technological innovation to develop new solutions and accelerate our ability to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes,” Stone said.

Vincent Wang, MD, left, and John Vossler, MD

Rady Children’s appoints two key leaders

Two new leaders have been appointed at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

First, Vincent Wang, MD, has been named chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Rady Children’s and he will also serve as clinical professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Wang joins Rady Children’s after serving as chief of pediatric emergency medicine and director of emergency services at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Health in Dallas.

“I’m deeply honored to join the team at Rady Children’s and serve as Chief in this extraordinary emergency medicine division,” Wang said in a statement. “The past few years have presented tremendous challenges for emergency departments nationwide, and Rady Children’s has not only weathered the storm but thrived under these conditions.”

John Vossler, MD, has been named a congenital heart surgeon at Rady Children’s and assistant clinical professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Vossler will lead surgeries as part of the Rady Children’s Heart Institute. He’s certified in robotic surgery. He’ll also train physicians at the medical school.

Previously, he was a congenital heart surgeon at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and he served as a clinical instructor at the University of Michigan Medical School.

John J. Nigro, division chief of cardiothoracic surgery and co-director of the Heart Institute at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, said Vossler is “an excellent addition to our growing team and mission to help all children and adults with congenital heart disease.”

Carolyn Sparks

Lifepoint hospital announces CEO

Carolyn Sparks has been named CEO of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, a Lifepoint Health hospital in Somerset, Kentucky.

Sparks has been serving in an interim capacity since May, but the system announced that she has earned the position as the hospital’s top leader.

She has been with Lifepoint for more than a decade, joining the health system in 2013. Previously, she served as CEO of Highpoint Health - Riverview and Highpoint Health - Trousdale in Tennessee.

“Stepping into the role of CEO at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital is a true honor,” Sparks said in a statement. “Working with such a passionate and skilled team during my interim period has been a privilege, and I look forward to continuing our work together. I am committed to building upon the exceptional services that Lake Cumberland is known for while exploring new ways to improve the health and wellbeing of our community.”