America’s Essential Hospitals announce ‘proven leader’ as next CEO

For the first time in 15 years, America’s Essential Hospitals is going to have a new leader.

Jennifer DeCubellis has been named the next president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals.

The organization said Thursday that it has named Jennifer DeCubellis as the next president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals. She succeeds Bruce Siegel, MD, who announced his plans to retire early next year.

Siegel has led America’s Essential Hospitals since October 2010. DeCubellis will take the post on Sept. 22, and Siegel will remain with the organization through the end of the year to assist with the transition.

America’s Essential Hospitals represents more than 300 safety net hospitals, and the group has been a leading advocate for providers serving vulnerable communities. The organization has had remarkable stability at the top, as DeCubellis will be only the third leader of the group since 1990.

DeCubellis most recently served as the CEO of Hennepin Healthcare System in Minneapolis, a $1.6 billion integrated health care system with a 484-bed academic medical center, a host of clinics in the Twin Cities and more than 7,000 employees.

“I am honored to join a great team at America’s Essential Hospitals, and I will work tirelessly to advocate for positive solutions to strengthen and sustain our nation’s essential hospitals for the patients and communities they serve,” DeCubellis said in a statement.

“Essential hospitals are the bedrock of the nation’s health care system, and they are more important than ever as we work to ensure access to high quality care across the nation,” she said.

DeCubellis has more than three decades of experience in the healthcare industry. She led Hennepin for more than five years, and she began serving as CEO just before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to navigating the pandemic, she also led Hennepin through the fallout of the killing of George Floyd. Hennepin Healthcare Board Chair Mohamed Omar told MPR News that DeCubellis was a strong advocate for the system.

“She has gone above and beyond for the organization during the most challenging period in healthcare in the last century,” Omar told MPR.

Before leading Hennepin, DeCubellis served as the deputy county administrator for Hennepin County, directing health and human services. She has experienced across all levels of government, including time at the CMS Innovation Center.

Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., chairman of the board for America’s Essential Hospitals, cited her wide-ranging experience as she takes on her new role.

“Jennifer has been a proven leader throughout her career, successfully heading a variety of organizations and always advocating for patients and their access to care,” Quatroche, CEO of Erie County Medical Center, in Buffalo, N.Y., said in a statement.

He also pointed to the financial pressures on safety net hospitals.

“Essential hospitals are under severe pressure, facing a host of unprecedented challenges, from funding shortfalls to staffing challenges. Jennifer will be a critical voice in Washington representing the interests of our members and the communities they serve,” he said.

America’s Essential Hospitals fought to prevent cuts in Medicaid in the federal tax package. In May, Siegel criticized reductions in Medicaid to pay for tax breaks and said the plan is “a direct assault on our nation’s health care system.”

Siegel has warned that reductions in Medicaid could threaten the viability of some safety net hospitals, forcing some facilities to close.

On Thursday, Siegel shared a photo on LinkedIn with DeCubellis and Chris Burch, who led America’s Essential Hospitals from 1990 to 2010. Siegel described DeCubellis as “outstanding.”

He wrote, “The leaders may change, but our commitments are enduring and strong!”