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Medical education programs aren't doing enough to meet the needs of residents with disabilities, a new study suggests.

Medical residents with disabilities who said their needs aren’t being met are more likely to suffer depression and report medical errors, according to a new study published in 

. Graduate medical education programs must do more to meet the mental health needs of residents and to protect patients, the authors stated.

The study is a rarity in that it focuses on medical residents with disabilities. However, with more students in medical schools reporting they have disabilities in recent years, it’s a topic gaining more attention.

Lisa Meeks and Karina Pereira-Lima, two researchers from the University of Michigan, were the lead authors of the study. They said the study highlights the importance of supporting residents with disabilities.

Healthcare leaders have repeatedly expressed the importance of adding more diversity to medical schools, particularly in light of the ongoing physician shortage. Advocates stress attracting more medical students with disabilities is an important step toward that goal.

About 7.5% of 1,273 medical residents surveyed self-reported some type of disability, according to the study. Most said they had ADHD but some reported chronic health conditions.

Residents with disabilities who said their needs were not met were far more likely to report medical errors than those without disabilities. About 43% of residents with disabilities and unmet needs self-reported major medical errors, compared to about 14% of residents without disabilities.

The study found no significant difference in symptoms of depression or medical errors among residents with disabilities who had adequate support compared to residents without disabilities.

All medical residents face an enormous amount of stress. The study suggests some programs are making it harder on students with disabilities.

“Resident physicians work long work hours, have immense responsibility, loss of autonomy, sleep deprivation, and the need to exponentially grow their knowledge in a field that is constantly being updated,” Meeks wrote in an email.

“When we add access barriers to this scenario, this long list of stressful demands becomes even more challenging, with residents with barriers in place likely working even harder and longer (given the barriers) to complete their work.”

Some residents with disabilities may not be disclosing them due to fear of bias or stigma, the authors note. They said those residents also suffer because they can’t bring their authentic selves to their work.

“This places additional burdens on the resident to try and function in a system that historically has been unfriendly to people with disabilities, and to go through training not having their access needs met,” Meeks wrote in an email.

 reported having a disability, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. But less than half of those students with disabilities said their medical schools gave them accommodations to assist them, students said in an AAMC survey.

Graduate medical education programs need to implement policies to meet the needs of students with disabilities, the authors said. Such policies should include welcoming language, specific accommodations and statements that emphasize the value of diversity.

While most graduate medical programs have a policy of some kind, Meeks and other researchers found in 

 that about one-third of programs examined didn’t include a disability policy.

Even those with policies have room for improvement, the researchers said. The 2020 study found 41% of the policies lacked a procedure for disclosing disabilities and requesting accommodations.

Graduate medical education (GME) programs need to appoint a specialized expert to assist with such policies, the authors said.

“GME offices should establish a process for disability disclosure that includes a confidential point of contact with expert knowledge of disability law and clinical accommodations who can assist with determining reasonable accommodations,” Meeks wrote via email. “This should be someone other than a colleague, supervisor, or anyone else who would evaluate the resident's performance.”

The researchers note that medical residents with disabilities offer great value in the field of healthcare.

“Residents with disabilities have the lived experience of being a patient,” Meeks stated. “Along with this experience, they have gained some insight into how the healthcare system engages with these patients (the good and the bad).”

Residents with disabilities offer “increased empathy, increased rapport with patients, and informed care for individuals with disabilities that result in enhanced responsiveness to clinical recommendations.”

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Residents with disabilities are more likely to show symptoms of depression and report medical errors if their needs aren’t met. 

Medical education programs must do more to support residents with disabilities

Nurses across the country plan to hold a day of action this week as they seek more protections against COVID-19.

National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, is planning events across the country on Thursday. The events include a candlelight vigil in Washington, D.C. to honor nurses who have died due to COVID-19.

The union has criticized President Joe Biden's administration, saying recent federal actions are eroding protections for nurses and other healthcare workers. 

The group cited the revised COVID-19 isolation guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has signed off on 

shorter isolation periods for healthcare providers

, particularly if they face staffing shortages.

Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, president of National Nurses United, said Tuesday that nurses aren’t being given sufficient protection.

“As we enter year three of the deadliest pandemic in our lifetimes, nurses are enraged to see that, for our government and our employers, it’s all about what’s good for business, not what’s good for public health,” she said in a statement.

“Our employers claim there is a ‘nursing shortage,’ and that’s why they must flout optimal isolation times, but we know there are plenty of registered nurses in this country,” she added. “There is only a shortage of nurses willing to work in the unsafe conditions created by hospital employers and this government’s refusal to impose lifesaving standards.”

Nurses have joined labor groups to petition the Biden administration to back a permanent standard to protect healthcare workers against COVID-19. Last week, the NNU joined the AFL-CIO and other unions in filing a 

 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. They want the court to order the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to make the standard permanent.

 said it was rescinding an emergency temporary standard of protection, which was enacted in June and can only stay in place for six months. The agency said it still intends to move toward a permanent standard.

OSHA said last month the agency “intends to continue to work expeditiously to issue a final standard that will protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 hazards, and will do so as it also considers its broader infectious disease rulemaking.”

OSHA also said it would continue to "vigorously enforce" regulations calling for healthcare organization to provide personal protective equipment and respiratory protection.

Nonetheless, the NNU and labor groups said a temporary standard should remain in effect until a final rule is in place. They also blasted the timing of the expiration of the temporary standard, as the Omicron variant is leading to unprecedented spikes in new cases.

Hospitals across the country have said they’re treating 

overwhelming numbers of patients with COVID-19

, and are dealing with staff shortages with some workers getting infected.

Nurses have been working under unfair and unsafe conditions for too long, the NNU argues.

The NNU said it recently surveyed its members and 83% of participants said at least half their shifts were unsafely staffed and 68% said they have considered leaving their position.

The nurses’ union is calling on hospitals to hire permanent staff nurses and provide sufficient training so that nurses can work across different departments. They also said they are seeking more robust safety measures to protect healthcare workers and patients.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal workers, lauded the Biden administration for moving toward a permanent standard of protection but said such a rule could take years. Everett Kelley, the union’s president, said last week the government should institute another temporary standard.

“The Biden administration must put worker safety first and reissue an emergency temporary standard that protects not only health care workers, but all essential front-line workers,” Kelley said in a Jan. 4 statement.

National Nurses United plans events across the country. The union is urging President Biden’s administration to do more to protect healthcare workers.


Nurses plan day of action, seek more COVID-19 protections

Senior care organizations are facing unprecedented staffing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders in the industry are desperately worried about finding new staff and keeping the quality people they have, said Ray Desrochers, president and chief operating officer of OnShift, an Ohio company that develops HR software for senior care companies.

Ray Desrochers, president and COO of OnShift

“There’s really two themes we’re hearing consistently,” Desrochers said in an interview. “This massive challenge of how do we find enough people. The second is this whole issue of burnout.”

“That is a massive problem across the industry right now,” he said. “We have a whole lot of people departing that were some of the best caregivers in the industry.”

Senior care organizations must adapt to find new ways to recruit and retain good workers, Desrochers said.

Four out of five senior care organizations said they are most concerned about staffing shortages, according to OnShift’s third annual Workforce 360 Survey. The company surveyed more than 2,000 long-term care, senior living and healthcare professionals.

Virtually all respondents (96%) said they are grappling with staffing shortages. In addition, about 75% of respondents said they had trouble covering shifts consistently. The vast majority said they are worried about the burnout of their staff. Roughly one-third said they had limited new admissions due to a lack of staffing.

The senior care industry struggled with high turnover even before the emergence of COVID-19, but the pandemic has dramatically altered the landscape. Some employees have left the industry for family reasons during the pandemic. Others have sought more fulfilling careers.

The industry is also facing greater competition for workers than ever before, Desrochers said. Some workers are taking jobs with hospitals or home healthcare organizations.

In the past, senior care organizations typically competed with other healthcare industry providers for workers. Now, companies from outside the industry, including retailers and restaurants, are seeking to hire workers away from senior care organizations, Desrochers said.

With that in mind, some senior care organizations are reevaluating what they must do to entice their best workers to stick around. Workers have more power and options than before, Desrochers said.

“The world has changed pretty significantly,” he said. “That's causing them to think a whole lot differently than ever before.”

Some are offering better pay, Desrochers said, including extra compensation for shifts that are more difficult to get covered. The survey found 64% are offering bonus pay to cover such shifts.

But some are also adapting novel approaches they haven’t previously considered.

Some senior care organizations are offering more flexibility in schedules than ever before, Desrochers said. Long-term care facilities haven’t always been very flexible in scheduling in the past, but some organizations are offering workers the chance to have schedules that work better for them. The early indications have been positive, he said.

Some senior care providers are offering perks in the form of reward points that can be spent in different ways. About half of the senior care leaders surveyed said they were looking at developing reward and recognition programs for workers.

“Organizations will take unique approaches to attracting talent and improving the employee experience,” Desrochers said. “Those that thrive will be the ones that get that right.”

Desrochers said more senior care organizations are thinking of ways to make sure their workers feel valued. Workers who have spent years in a senior care organization obviously have motivation beyond money.

“If you look at the people doing this for a long time, they’re doing it because they love it,” he said.

“The employers are figuring out their best folks, they want to be here,” he said. “They fundamentally want to help people.”

Senior care organizations are expanding their recruiting pool to bring in new workers. Providers are increasingly going after young adults, Desrochers said. Some senior care organizations are working to show students they can find interesting career possibilities.

“They’re actually starting to expand those pools in a meaningful way,” Desrochers said. “For the first time we’re seeing a significant uptick in student hiring.”

Some senior care providers are also going after retirees who may be looking to stay busy, even if they aren’t necessarily seeking full-time work. “People are catching on there are other pools of talent they can tap,” he said.

With senior care organizations are struggling to keep staffing, Desrochers said he expects OnShift to continue to grow. He said the company’s scheduling software can save providers money and headaches, giving staff more time to take care of patients.

“This has been an industry that’s been neglected for too long from a technology standpoint,” he said.

Desrochers added that OnShift is not trying to be “all things to all people”.

“We are built exclusively for the post-acute industry,” he said.

And he said OnShift’s strategies on recruiting and employee retention can help organizations as they try to hold onto their key workers.

“There are a whole bunch of fundamentals there that will allow them to maintain a meaningful number of employees,” he said.

Many are facing staffing shortages and greater competition for workers. Senior care organizations must adapt to retain their best employees. 

Why senior care organizations must shift thinking to keep top talent

Two states are shifting course in the way they collect data on COVID-19 hospitalizations.

New York and Massachusetts have asked hospitals to break down data on those that are being treated for COVID-19 along with those who were admitted for other health issues and tested positive. Both states have requested hospitals to begin offering the data in recent days. 

The move comes as hospitals across the nation are battling heavy spikes in COVID-19 admissions, with states such as 

, Maryland and Ohio reporting new peaks in recent days.

Officials in both states have said they aim to offer residents a clearer picture of the toll of the virus. The Massachusetts Department of Health said last week it would ask healthcare systems to break down the numbers starting Monday,

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said last week she wants to “always be honest with New Yorkers about how bad this is.” The state health department has started offering the additional information in its updates.

“Yes, the sheer numbers of people infected are high, but I want to see whether or not the hospitalizations correlate with that,” she said last week. “And I'm anticipating to see that at least a certain percentage overall are not related to being treated for COVID. But we're still going to watch hospital capacity. Hospital capacity is still hospital capacity. You either have beds for sick people or you don't.”

Across New York state, slightly more than 12,000 patients with COVID-19 are being treated in hospitals as of Jan. 10, according to the state health department.

More than 6,100 patients in New York City hospitals have tested positive for the coronavirus. About half the city’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are primarily for COVID-19, according to the health department. In some regions of the state, such as Albany and central New York, about 75% of patients testing positive were admitted due to COVID-19.

In Massachusetts, more than 2,600 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals, according to the state’s health department.

Dr. Rahul Sharma, emergency physician-in-chief for New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said Monday about half of the system’s 1,200 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 were admitted for the virus. The other half were admitted for other reasons and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

However, Sharma said the system is seeing serious capacity challenges, particularly since the hospital system is also seeing more patients in emergency rooms for a host of reasons.

“Our emergency departments are currently seeing pre-pandemic volumes,” he said in a news briefing.

In addition, New York-Presbyterian, like most healthcare organizations, is dealing with staffing shortages. “Today we have a much larger staffing shortage than we did in two prior surges,” Sharma said.

Some of the system's healthcare workers are testing positive for COVID-19 and missing some time. With shorter isolation guidelines and milder symptoms, some staff are returning to work more quickly after testing positive than earlier in the pandemic, Sharma said.

For the most part, the system’s COVID-19 patients with the Omicron variant are showing milder symptoms so far and they’re seeing fewer people with serious respiratory issues, such as pneumonia. There are encouraging signs the Omicron variant doesn’t attack the lungs as aggressively, Sharma said.

Currently about 10% of the system’s COVID-19 patients are in intensive care unit beds, compared to 20% last winter. Sharma said some patients with Omicron are getting discharged after shorter stays.

Still, the Omicron variant is far more transmissible, Sharma noted, so the system expects to be challenged for some time. New York-Presbyterian is projecting the peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations could come in the next two weeks.

Northwell Health, which operates 22 hospitals in New York, says it has 1,700 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. About half are being treated primarily for the virus, while the rest were admitted for another reasons and then tested positive. 

About 10% of Northwell's COVID-19 patients are in ICU beds, compared to 16% last winter. 

New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, has been 

 since the emergence of the Omicron variant. Some hospitals in the state have been directed to postpone elective surgeries.

 have said they are struggling with the rapid transmission of the coronavirus, shortages in staffing and an uptick in patients being admitted for other reasons. Many hospital officials have said this is the most challenging time of the pandemic.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 

Officials said those under 18 remain the least likely group to become seriously ill due to the virus, but they are seeing more pediatric COVID-19 cases in hospitals than ever before.

Officials in both states are asking hospitals to provide information on how many patients are hospitalized due to COVID-19 and how many tested positive after being admitted for other reasons.

New York, Massachusetts want more data on COVID-19 hospitalizations

Katie Kean, a nurse manager at the Rush University Cancer Center, said the stress was growing.

Rush has been expanding hours and staffing at the cancer center. As the center took in more patients, scheduling became more challenging and nurses were increasingly battling burnout.

But Rush recently began using iQueue scheduling software from LeanTaaS, a California-based healthcare analytics software company. The iQueue system has made scheduling appointments for infusion centers much more manageable, Kean said.

The system predicts times of peak demand and when there will be fewer patients, enabling Rush to deploy staff more efficiently.

The iQueue system “really helps us stay organized and meet the needs of the high demand of our space,” she said.

“It’s helping us optimize our schedule and meet the demands of that patient growth,” she said.

Sanjeev Agrawal, president and COO of LeanTaaS

LeanTaaS is banking on its data science and software scheduling solutions to drive the company’s growth. LeanTaaS has contracts with more than 420 hospitals and 110 healthcare systems.

Sanjeev Agrawal, president and chief operating officer of LeanTaaS, said in a recent media roundtable the company has continued to grow even during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agrawal said he is projecting more growth in the future.

The company offers iQueue scheduling solutions for infusion centers, operating rooms and in-patient volume.

Healthcare systems are still struggling to find ways to serve more patients and unlock their full capacity, said Mohan Giridharadas, founder and CEO of LeanTaaS.

“Unlocking capacity is a deceptively hard problem,” he said in a recent roundtable. It involves understanding the dynamics of supply and demand, which can change every day.

Mohan Giridharadas, founder and CEO of LeanTaaS

Ride-share companies have figured out how to do it, Giridharadas said, but “health systems by and large do not.”

“It’s a problem urgently in need of being solved,” he said.

Giridharadas pointed to Atlanta’s airport and how it handles thousands of flights a day, compared to the hundreds of flights departing and arriving in the 1980s.

“Imagine if we could do that with our technology for healthcare systems,” he said.

If better technology enables healthcare systems to schedule and serve more patients, he said, “That will change the dynamics of how hospitals operate.”

LeanTaas utilizes data and predictive analytics to improve scheduling. With better management and scheduling of operating rooms and infusion centers, healthcare systems can serve patients better and improve their finances, potentially generating millions more in revenue, Giridharadas said.

The company says its operating room system can generate an improvement of $500,000 in revenue per OR annually.

In 2020, Novant Health began using LeanTaaS’ iQueue system in more than 100 operating rooms across North Carolina. Angela Yochem, executive vice president at Novant Health, said the software vastly improved the scheduling of surgeries. For years, staff have been scheduling manually.

“It's a really neat set of tools,” Yochem said in a roundtable with LeanTaaS executives last month. “It is a next generation set of capabilities that they provide.”

Yochem said the software helps hospitals have the right teams in place for surgeries. The system also eliminates some of the noise and stress involved in scheduling and allows doctors and nurses more time to focus on caring for patients.

“It’s a game changer for anyone who is actively conducting surgery,” Yochem said.

The iQueue software spots trends in the types of surgeries and how long different surgeons take on certain procedures, Agrawal said.

“We predict more effectively the length of case, type of surgeon, to accommodate more procedures in the same 8-hour periods,” he said. “It helps you look forward”

“We’re predicting and prescribing the right action.”

With the pandemic, hospital systems have been hammered financially. Healthcare systems have seen higher labor and supply expenses even as they treat waves of new COVID-19 patients. Understandably, some health systems are reluctant to invest in new technology.

Agrawal acknowledged the challenge and said LeanTaaS will reimburse hospital systems if they don’t deliver on value.

“They need partners willing to co-share the risk with them,” Agrawal said. “The first way to stand up and get trust is to say, if it doesn’t work, we don’t deserve to get paid.”

Ashley Joseph, a vice president at LeanTaaS

The software can also address the problem of the mid-day peak for treatment at cancer centers, said Ashley Joseph, vice president of client services for infusion centers at LeanTaaS.

Demand at infusion centers can peak in the middle of the day, often at a time when some staff also need to get lunch. The iQueue system uses a patented algorithm to load patients better, Joseph said.

While block schedules can work for tennis courts, it’s not practical at infusion centers. If a patient is still getting treatment past their scheduled time, nurses can’t tell the patient it’s time to stop.

“We mathematically look at the trends in each center,” Joseph said. “We look at all of the details of how many patients come in for how long, how many come on time, and how many come in late. We create this optimal schedule that goes away from block scheduling.”

Katie Kean, nurse manager at Rush University Cancer Center

The iQueue system works with hospitals’ electronic health record systems, so hospitals don’t need to worry about changing their record systems, Joseph said.

The system has made a marked difference at Rush’s cancer center, Kean said.

“We could never keep up with what we were doing if it weren’t for iQueue,” she said. “The insight into the peaks of our day is just so much more apparent.”

In addition to easing headaches for staff, the system serves patients better, Kean said.

“It doesn’t serve the patients’ needs if we ask them to come at 11 and we can’t serve them until 1,” she said.

Recently, Kean said the scheduling system projected that an upcoming Monday was going to be packed, while there were nurses who were available on another day. Kean said staff were able to get patients to reschedule and avoided a log jam.

“It gives us insight into our data in a way that we’ve never had before,” Kean said. “It lets us be proactive instead of reactive.”

The California-based company said its software solutions can ease headaches for staff and patients and help generate more revenue. Company leaders are optimistic about their prospects for growth.

LeanTaaS aims to bring smarter scheduling to more hospitals

A new surgical robot appears to be on the cutting edge.

Memic Innovative Surgery said last week its new robotic surgical system for gynecological procedures is now in use at three top hospitals. Memic, based in Israel, focuses on robotic surgical technology.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing of Memic’s Hominis Surgical System. The FDA said the device offers a minimally invasive option for gynecological procedures. The FDA said it is the first robotically-assisted surgical device approved for a transvaginal hysterectomy. 

Dvir Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Memic Innovative Surgery

Memic announced the system is now being used at three Florida hospitals: HCA Florida Healthcare’s Kendall Regional Medical Center, AdventHealth Celebration and The Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial. While Memic is based in Tel Aviv, the company has a subsidiary based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The company said the surgical robot is designed to replicate the motions of a surgeon’s arms. The device “features miniature humanoid-shaped arms, with shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints that provide human level dexterity and 360-degree articulation,” Memic said in a news release.

The robotic device still requires a doctor at the controls.

The Hominis system uses minimally invasive instruments inserted through the vagina. A video camera is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen to allow the surgeon to see the instrument. Since the approach requires fewer incisions, there is less scarring, allowing patients to recover more quickly, the company said.

Memic also said Hominis is less expensive than other robotic systems, allowing more hospitals to acquire the device.

Memic Innovative Surgery, based in Israel, said its Hominis Surgical System is now being used in three hospitals. The device is used for minimally invasive gynecological procedures. (Image submitted by Memic.)

Dvir Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Memic, said the adoption of the Hominis system in the three hospitals is a step toward expansion worldwide.

“We are proud to partner with these leading healthcare providers to empower surgeons with a better user experience and help them better serve the thousands of women who undergo gynecologic surgery each year,” Cohen said in a news release.

Leaders of the three hospitals that are using the Hominis system offered glowing praise. Ricardo E. Estape, a gynecology oncologist at Kendall Regional Medical Center and director of HCA Healthcare’s Institute for Gynecologic Oncology, said he appreciates being among the first hospitals to use the device. 

The system allows the hospital “to perform minimally invasive gynecological procedures using the transvaginal approach, which is known to offer less pain, lower infection rates, faster recovery, and no visible scarring,” he said in a news release.

Doug Harcombe, CEO at AdventHealth Celebration, said the hospital welcomed the chance to add new technology to surgical options. “This technology will allow us to perform surgical techniques not feasible today and improve the surgical experience for a wide range of patients,” he said in a statement.

“As one of the region’s most cutting-edge surgical centers, we are excited to be adding new technology and surgical solutions that will benefit our patients,” said Joanne Ruggiero, interim CEO of Holtz Children’s Hospital/The Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial.

The FDA said it reviewed the device through the 

 pathway, which is designed for new products with low to moderate risk. In its review, the FDA evaluated a clinical study of the Hominis system with 30 patients, and the agency said all the procedures were done successfully.

Memic is in the process of merging with the MedTech Acquisition Corporation, based in Connecticut. The merger is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. The combined company will be known as Memic when the deal is complete.

The company has applied to list its shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Memic Innovative Surgery, an Israeli-based company focused on robotic surgical technology, touts its new device for gynecological procedures. The Hominis Surgical System is now in use at three hospitals. 

New robotic surgical device now being used in hospitals

Abhinav Rastogi has been named president and CEO of Temple University Hospital.

Rastogi assumed his new role Jan. 1. Michael A. Young

will remain president and CEO of Temple University Health System.

Rastogi has served as executive vice president of Temple University Health System and Temple Hospital’s chief operating officer since July 2020.

“Abhi’s effective leadership and thorough familiarity with the day-to-day operational and financial performance of Temple University Hospital make him ideally-suited to take on the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead for TUH,” Young said in a statement.

With the shifting responsibilities, Rastogi will focus on the operational effectiveness and financial health of Temple Hospital’s Main, Jeanes, Episcopal, and Northeastern campuses. Young will focus on the Temple Health System, Temple said in a news release.

Rastogi has been with Temple for 19 years. He has served as director of the project management office, associate hospital director of the pulmonary service line, and senior vice president of professional services. Before joining Temple, he was a data analyst at Temple University’s School of Pharmacy, a consultant for IBM, and a project team leader at Tata Infotech.

Tracey Franovich has been named president and CEO of McLaren Hospital in Pontiac, Mich.

She began her new role at the 318-bed hospital on Jan. 3. Franovich succeeds Margaret Diamond, who left for another opportunity.

Franovich previously served as vice president of operation transformation at the non-profit Franciscan Alliance health system serving Indiana and south suburban Chicago. She held several leadership roles during her 17 years with the system.

She will oversee the organization’s operations at the main hospital and all offsite facilities, including the McLaren Clarkston campus.

“Meeting with the leaders of this organization and getting to know more about McLaren, I was impressed with the system’s reach and capabilities, and enthusiastic about our opportunities to grow,” Franovich said in a statement. “I’m excited to be part of this system, joining this team at McLaren Oakland and beginning to work with an exceptional group of professionals.”

Timothy Kasprzak has been named as the chief medical officer at McLaren Oakland hospital. An oncologic diagnostic radiologist by training, Dr. Kasprzak has spent the past several years in leadership positions.

He succeeds Dr. Ronald Shaheen, who stepped into the role of interim chief medical officer following the retirement of longtime CMO Dr. Steven Calkin.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the Oakland community and McLaren system in this role,” Kasprzak said in a statement. “We look forward to addressing ongoing challenges while growing and leading healthcare initiatives in Oakland County and the City of Pontiac.”

HCA Virginia names CEO of Richmond hospital

David McKnight has been named the CEO of Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond, Va. McKnight took the role effective Dec. 27. He previously served as CEO of HCA Virginia’s Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, where he was credited with improving cardiac care and expanding services for women and children, the company said.

McLaren Oakland announces new leaders, and HCA Virginia selects chief executive for Richmond hospital