Saint Luke’s Health System announces CEO of North Region, and more | MED MOVES

Darren Bass has been named chief executive officer for Saint Luke’s Health System’s North Region.

Darren Bass

Bass replaces Adele Ducharme, who retired after serving as CEO for more than a decade. He began his new role April 24.

He joins Saint Luke’s from CoxHealth in Springfield, Mo., where he served as vice president of clinical services. He previously held leadership positions at Cox Monett Hospital and in rehabilitation leadership roles.

“I look forward to continue building upon the great work happening across the Saint Luke’s North Region and getting to know the growing community,” Bass said in a statement. “My family and I are excited to call the Northland home.”

Bass will oversee Saint Luke's North Hospital–Barry Road and Saint Luke's North Hospital–Smithville, which includes a total of 160 patient beds and serves a three-county area of nearly 450,000 residents.

“Darren is a proven health care executive with more than 20 years of experience,” Julie Quirin, Saint Luke’s Health System senior vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “The success of CoxHealth and Cox Monett Hospital under his leadership is a testament to his commitment to quality care and clinical excellence.”

Chris Thomson

MaineHealth hires chief medical and transformation officer

Chris Thomson has been named the first chief medical & transformation officer of MaineHealth.

In this newly created role, Thomson will assume duties previously assigned to the system’s chief medical officer, but he will also take on the additional responsibility for innovating care delivery, the system said. Thomson will be asked to look at transformation efforts that could include new partnerships or new delivery models focused on value based care.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to be on the forefront of innovation in health care, all in service to the clear and meaningful vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” Thomson said in a statement.

MaineHealth operates hospitals and healthcare sites serving 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire.

Dr. Andrew Mueller, chief executive officer of MaineHealth, said Thomson is an ideal physician leader for the newly created position.

“An emergency physician by training, all along the way, Chris has been an innovator in areas such as service line development, population health and clinical documentation,” Mueller said in a statement.

Previously, Thomson has been vice president and physician executive with Centura Health in Denver, Colorado. Prior to that he was with Centra Health in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he served as senior vice president and system chief medical officer.

Thomson replaces Doug Sawyer, MaineHealth’s chief academic officer, who has been serving as the chief medical officer on an interim basis since November 2021.

Baptist Health names first system quality officer

Jeremy Goodman has joined Baptist Health and has been tapped to serve as the inaugural vice president and system quality officer of the organization based in Jacksonville, Fla.

Jeremy Goodman

Goodman joined Baptist Health on May 15. He will oversee the effectiveness of clinical management, patient safety and performance improvement programs.

“I could not be more excited to join Baptist Health and help advance clinical quality and patient safety efforts across the system,” Goodman said in a statement. “Baptist has an outstanding record of providing the highest quality care, and its commitment to excellence in clinical delivery is evident throughout the organization.”

Previously, Goodman spent six years at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix, Arizona’s largest hospital. He served as chief medical officer for the flagship medical center. He also formerly served as chief medical officer for Banner Estrella Medical Center, a 317-bed community hospital in Phoenix.

Goodman will report to Timothy Groover, senior vice president and system chief medical officer of Baptist Health. Groover hailed Goodman as “a highly accomplished physician executive with a significant background in process improvement and clinical care design.”

“He will play a vital role in ensuring continued clinical excellence across the system and will build upon our culture of promoting health care equity through quality and safety standards,” Groover said in a statement.

Sinai Chicago selects new COO

Iliana A. Mora will be joining Sinai Chicago as the organization’s new executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Mora will begin her new role on June 1. She comes to Sinai Chicago with over 20 years of experience in healthcare, most recently with Cook County Health System.

“We’re excited to bring Iliana to Sinai at this transformational moment in our history,” Ngozi Ezike, president and CEO of Sinai Chicago, said in a statement. “She brings a proven track record of driving operational change and improvement, as well as developing close partnerships with caregivers, government, donors and the community, all with a focus on ensuring Sinai’s ability to fulfill our mission to serve the needs of the communities of the West and South sides.”

In her new role, Mora will lead Sinai Chicago’s day-to-day operations, overseeing all hospital and ambulatory care, clinical and administrative functions, and quality and patient experience.

“Sinai Chicago is truly a pillar in the communities it serves and I am thrilled for the opportunity to bring my experience and skills here in service of Sinai’s mission,” Mora said in a statement.

“I look forward to working with Dr. Ezike and the rest of the leadership team to transform and grow Sinai, ensuring financial stability and the ability to provide quality, culturally sensitive care that is accessible and inclusive for everyone, no matter who they are, where they come from or their ability to pay.”

Greg Wood

N.C. health system CEO plans to retire

Greg Wood, president and CEO of Scotland Health in North Carolina, has announced his plan to retire.

Wood made the announcement earlier this month. He plans to step down Dec. 31, 2023.

Scotland Health operates a hospital with 104 acute care beds and employs more than 100 physicians and about 1,000 employees.

“I’m deeply grateful and humbled by the support I’ve received throughout my 30 years with Scotland Health,” Wood said in a statement.

“It has truly been a privilege to lead such a tremendous organization, but it’s time for a change,” Wood said. “We’re in a strong and stable position and I’m confident the staff, trustees and providers will maintain our unique culture that have made us the premier rural health care system of the Carolinas.”

The organization will conduct a national search for his successor. Atrium Health manages Scotland Health.

“We have had a tremendous partnership with Greg and we congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement,” Chris Bowe, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Atrium Health, said in a statement.

Jeff Chiumiento

Rhapsody appoints chief financial officer

Jeff Chiumiento has been named the new chief financial officer of Rhapsody, a healthcare data interoperability firm.

He brings over 20 years of experience in roles focused on finance and technology. Before joining Rhapsody, Chiumiento was interim chief financial officer for Rocket Software, and held executive-level roles at companies including Sonos and NBC Universal, Inc.

“I am excited to be an integral part of such a prestigious company known globally as a pioneer and leader in healthcare interoperability,” Chiumiento said in a statement.

Chiumiento is taking over from Mark Beucler, Rhapsody’s former CFO.

Erkan Akyuz, chief executive officer of Rhapsody, said Chiumiento will be a welcome addition to the company.

“Jeff is a positive change agent with a wealth of experience taking technology companies to the next level,” Akyuz said in a statement. “As Rhapsody navigates opportunities for partnerships and evolves to meet the needs of our expanding customer base, onboarding a business leader with keen expertise in building and leading high performing teams is key to Rhapsody’s next chapter.”