MED MOVES: Fulbright to Retire From CMH; Appointments at Southwest Health System, Sevier County Hospital

Year-end departure seen. Gary Fulbright, CEO/executive director of Citizens Memorial Hospital and Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation in Bolivar, Missouri, announced his retirement on Thursday, which will be effective December 31, 2021, according to a statement. Fulbright joined CMH in June 1982 as its controller, became chief financial officer in 2003, and took over as CEO/executive director in January 2020. Fulbright was credited with leading CMH through the pandemic, setting up a designated treatment area, a drive-through testing site, and community vaccination events. He broke ground on the 8,300-square-foot Willard Medical Center that will open in November 2021. The CMH and CMH Foundation boards of directors will form a committee and to find Fulbright’s replacement, according to the statement.

New CEO for Sevier County Hospital. Lori House, MHA, CPHIMS, CPC, has been named CEO of Sevier County Hospital, in Dequeen, Arkansas, members of the board announced this week. House has most recently served as the revenue cycle manager for Healthy Connections out of Mena, Arkansas. She has more than 18 years of experience and described herself as a “servant leader” in an interview. House will begin her new post June 1, 2021. A new medical center is scheduled to open in spring 2022.

Interim CEO at Southwest Health System. Jeanette Filpi, MHA, has been appointed interim CEO of Southwest Health System, based in Cortez, Colorado. Her appointment was effective April 26, according to a statement released last week. CFO Rick Shrader, briefly stepped in as CEO until a long-term interim CEO could be selected, according to Southwest Health. Former CEO Tony Sudduth resigned April 6, 2021. Filip will serve while a search continues for a permanent leader for the health system, which operates Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez. Filpi will recruit a permanent chief nursing officer to succeed Karen Labonte. Chief Operating Officer Kerri White-Singleton is currently serving as interim chief nursing officer.

New CEO at Verato. Clay Ritchey has been named CEO of Verato, maker of next-generation identify resolution technology, the company announced this week. Ritchey has held senior leadership roles over the last three decades across the healthcare and technology/software space. He most recently served as CEO of Evariant, a healthcare SaaS SRM and big data analytics company—ultimately leading that company to a successful merger with Healthgrades in January 2020. Verato’s enterprise master person index (EMPI) integrates patient data collected from within and beyond the healthcare system, allowing clients to integrate their solutions for CRM, analytics, clinical, and digital experience faster and with lower overall cost than any other technology.