Becker's Hospital Review

9 CFO / FINANCE CFO tenures at the 10 largest health systems By Andrew Cass H ealthcare CFOs' tenures last an average of 4.7 years, according to a September report from Crist Kolder Associates. Here are the tenures of the CFOs at the 10 largest health systems in the U.S. (Health system size is determined by the number of hospitals, based on organizational data as of December.) HCA Healthcare (Nashville, Tenn.): Mike Marks became CFO in May 2024. Veterans Health Administration: Richard Topping was appointed CFO in July. CommonSpirit Health (Chicago): Daniel Morissette has served as CFO since the health system launched in February 2019. He is retiring Oct. 31. A successor has not yet been named. Ascension (St. Louis): Saurabh Tripathi became CFO in April 2024. LifePoint Health (Brentwood, Tenn.): Aaron Lewis became CFO in April 2024. Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.): Daniel Isacksen Jr. has served as CFO since 2021. ScionHealth (Louisville, Ky.): Doug Shirley was named CFO in April. Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.): Jason Johnson has served as interim CFO since Oct. 1. He succeeded Kevin Hammons, who is serving as the system's interim CEO. Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.): Brad Clark has served as CFO since December 2023. Christus Health (Irving, Texas): Randy Safady has served as CFO since June 2011. n VCU Health CFO's advice for ambulatory growth By Madeline Ashley S ustaining world-class research amid margin pressures requires sharper focus and strategic recruitment, academic health system leaders told Becker's. To balance the financial demands of maintaining research excellence with the immediate needs of community hospitals and patients, leaders said they are doubling down on programs that emphasize clinical strengths and where funding is more likely to be sustainable. At Gainesville, Fla.-based UF Health, clinical care is best delivered when innovation, education and research are woven into daily work — a principle that remains core to the system's mission, President and System CEO Stephen Motew, MD, told Becker's. "Communities have come to rely on this level of care from UF Health," Dr. Motew said. "And as such, despite the complexities and risks to established research funding, we are addressing these by focusing recruitment on top academic talent where funding is more likely to be sustainable, by establishing a broader lens of funding partners across industry, federal and state sources, and with more strategic use of philanthropy." He added that discipline and community engagement are key to sustaining this model. "It is critical for our success that we remain disciplined in our costs and aggressively improve processes across all missions and lean-in to embedding UF Health deeper into the community, not retreating," Dr. Motew said. Balancing these priorities also means recognizing the two are financially entwined. e flow of funding for research is oen supplemented by margins generated from patient care, said Andrew DeVoe, executive vice president and CFO of Burlington, Mass.-based Tus Medicine. "Our focus has been on achieving profitability so we can invest more in world-class research," Mr. DeVoe said. "Significant focus is spent on commercial funding as a stopgap, not only today but into the future." At Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare, research helps the organization be "the best at getting better," Chief Academic Officer Peter Yoo, MD, said. To sustain this commitment amid industrywide pressures, the system is "laser-focused" on what is most worthy of its attention: programs that highlight or build on clinical strengths. "is ensures we are doubling down on what matters most to patients and communities," Dr. Yoo said. "We have to be disciplined with our limited resources, and research doesn't detract from front-line care but must augment it. Our research initiatives are cost-conscious, clinically relevant and sustainable. By careful recruiting and mentoring colleagues to secure private grants and funding, we shi the balance from internal subsidy to external investment." Hartford HealthCare has diversified its research portfolio and accelerated the translation of innovation into patient care through engaging innovators who bring new products and early technologies for exploration and development, Dr. Yoo said. "An example of this work is our Holistic Artificial Intelligence in Medicine collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, through which we are pioneering multimodal clinical AI tools that sharpen diagnosis, personalize care and streamline hospital operations," he said. n

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