Becker's Hospital Review

20 Sign up for the COMPLIMENTARY Becker's Hospital Review CEO Report & CFO Report E-Weeklies at www.BeckersHospitalReview.com or call (800) 417-2035 look different in the future through tweaks, changes and executive orders, but the PPACA has set the stage for a transformational shift from volume- to value-based care. Neal Patterson. In the health system EHR space, Epic garners much of the attention, but Mr. Patterson, chairman and CEO of Cerner in North Kansas City, Mo., has quietly become one of the most influential people in the health IT arena. Mr. Patterson co-founded Cerner in 1979, and now it is the largest independent health IT company in the world, posting more than $2.5 billion of revenue in 2012. Cerner's EHR and IT solutions are deployed at more than 2,700 hospitals and offices of 45,000 physician nationwide. Cerner especially took off in 2009, following the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which heavily emphasized investment in health IT through the HITECH Act. In 2012, Forbes featured Mr. Patterson, who also owns a major league soccer team, on its cover as one of the healthcare law's "billionaire" beneficiaries. Edith Ramirez, JD. Ms. Ramirez was sworn in as commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission in April 2010, a term that lasts until 2015. In 2013, President Obama designated her as the FTC's chairwoman. A Harvard Law School graduate, Ms. Ramirez is one of the most powerful regulatory figures when it comes to healthcare industry consolidation, which has reached record highs over the past few years. Under her watch, several major health system transactions have been challenged, including the highly followed case of Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany, Ga., which reached the Supreme Court. She also testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary in November 2013, explicitly stating the "healthcare and technology sectors" will be the primary targets of the FTC's antitrust enforcement. Larry Robbins. Mr. Robbins is the founder of Glenview Capital Management, a $10.9 billion hedge fund based in New York City. Viewed by some as an activist investor and described by Mr. Robbins in interviews as a "suggestivist," Glenview has become a silent force, investing in some of the largest healthcare firms in the country. Mr. Robbins owns significant stakes in several for-profit hospital chains — HCA, LifePoint, Tenet, CHS and Health Management Associates — as well as other massive healthcare companies like Walgreens, McKesson, Humana and Cigna. His name rose to the surface swiftly in 2013 due to his involvement with Health Management. The Naples, Fla.-based hospital operator had been struggling financially, and Mr. Robbins and Glenview began a campaign to "revitalize HMA." Ultimately, Mr. Robbins won, as Health Management installed a new board of directors per his suggestion, removed several top Health Management officials and agreed to a merger with CHS. Jeffrey Romoff. As president and CEO of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Mr. Romoff is the point man for the $10 billion integrated health system, which includes more than 20 hospitals, a health plan, advisory services and a preeminent academic medical center based in the heart of the Steel City. Mr. Romoff and UPMC have been in the headlines extensively in the past few years, especially in 2013. In March, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced the city would mount a formal challenge to revoke the tax-exempt status of UPMC, arguing the organization does not meet the requirements of an "institution of purely public charity." UPMC has fought the city's claims, saying the challenge is distorting the state's test of defining a tax-exempt entity. Mr. Romoff 's career began at the University of Pittsburgh in 1973. In 1992, he was named president of UPMC, and he added the title of CEO in 2006. Paul Rothman, MD. Dr. Rothman, a rheumatologist and molecular immunologist, was named CEO of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2012. He oversees a $6.5 billion academic medical center and health system that has garnered acclaim for its clinical advances both nationally and internationally. Johns Hopkins Medicine includes The John Hopkins Hospital, the only hospital to have been ranked first overall in the nation for 21 straight years by U.S. News & World Report, as well as The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Rothman came to Johns Hopkins Medicine from the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where he served as dean. His research on cytokines, which are immune system molecules, has changed how medical scientists study the development of blood cells, and he has received several national awards for his work. Kathleen Sebelius. Ms. Sebelius serves as the 21st secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a role she has held since President Obama took office in 2009. As HHS secretary, Ms. Sebelius is responsible for the full implementation of the PPACA. Provisions include the recruitment and training of more primary care providers, support of EHRs and a focus on prevention and wellness. Ms. Sebelius has also worked closely with Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice to crack down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud, and a record $4.2 billion in healthcare funds were recovered in the government's 2012 fiscal year. Most recently, Ms. Sebelius has been responsible for the health law's online insurance marketplaces on HealthCare.gov. Testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Ms. Sebelius apologized for the site's botched rollout and acknowledged use of the site has been "miserably frustrating" for people trying to purchase coverage, although federal officials have plans in place to fix it. Before joining HHS, she was governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2008, and she was the insurance commissioner of Kansas from 1995 to 2003. Scott Serota. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, a conglomerate of 37 independent BCBS companies, covers almost one in three Americans. Roughly 96 percent of all U.S. hospitals contract with BCBSA companies. The association also has a presence in more than 170 countries and territories around the world. Mr. Serota has served as the organization's president and CEO since 2000 after previously working as BCBSA's COO and executive vice president for system development. Before joining the Blues system, Mr. Serota was president and CEO of Rush Prudential Health Plans. He also is a founding member of the National Business Group on Health's Institute on Healthcare Costs and Solutions and serves on board councils of several prominent healthcare associations. Peter Shumlin. Gov. Shumlin is the 81st and current governor of Vermont, a title he has held since 2010. He has made a big impression in healthcare, despite the small size of Vermont. In 2011, he signed legislation that would create a single-payer system, providing universal healthcare coverage to all state residents by 2017. Green Mountain Care is the state-funded organization that would administer the system. Essentially, GMC would pay hospitals and other healthcare providers 105 percent of Medicare rates, while the system itself would be funded through public financing and taxes. The project in Vermont is viewed in some circles as an incubator to see if single-payer could work on a broader level within the U.S. In a Washington Post interview with Ezra Klein in 2011, Gov. Shumlin said: "Single payer means something different to everyone. The way I define it is that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. It follows the individual and not the employer. And it's publicly financed." Bruce Siegel, MD. Dr. Siegel, board-certified in preventive medicine, has become a leading figure for safety-net hospitals and health systems. He serves as president and CEO of America's Essential Hospitals, formerly the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, which includes more than 200 organizations that serve the most vulnerable populations in the U.S. Dr. Siegel has led two AEH members as president and CEO: Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. He also was the New Jersey health commissioner and director of the Center for Health Care Quality at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services in Washington, D.C. Dr. Siegel's work on healthcare quality and equity has been featured at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund. Wayne Smith. Mr. Smith serves as chairman, president and CEO of Community Health Systems, a for-profit hospital chain based in Franklin, Tenn., that owns, operates or leases 135 nonurban hospitals across 29 states. CHS is primed to operate more than 200 hospitals, pending its acquisition of Health Management Associates. The average hospital within CHS, post-merger, will have about 150 beds, and CHS will gain a huge foothold in several markets in which it currently doesn't have a big presence, particularly Florida, Mississippi and Oklahoma. In fiscal year 2012, CHS and Health Management had a combined $18.9 billion in revenue. Mr. Smith has also spearheaded other big projects at CHS over the past several years, including a clinical quality alliance with Cleveland Clinic. Before joining CHS in 1997, Mr. Smith was with Humana for 23 years, where he was president and COO. Joseph Swedish. In March 2013, Mr. Swedish made the ultimate jump from provider to payer. He became CEO of Indianapolis-based WellPoint, the second-largest health insurer in the country and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Mr. Swedish came to WellPoint from Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health amidst the health system's merger with Newtown

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