Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/949902
52 52 CEO/STRATEGY Following CEO-Elect's Sudden Retirement, Ballad Health Names 16 New Leaders By Anuja Vaidya B allad Health, the new health system formed by the merger of Kingsport, Tenn.-based Well- mont Health System and Johnson City, Tenn.-based Mountain States Health Alliance, selected 16 new executives. e system formally launched Feb. 2. Bart Hove, the former CEO of Well- mont slated to serve as CEO of the merged organization, unexpectedly re- tired Feb. 1. Alan Levine, who serves as executive chairman and president of Ballad Health, stepped in as CEO. e other members of Ballad Health's executive team include: • COO: Marvin Eichorn, who was pre- viously executive vice president and COO of MSHA • CFO: Lynn Krutak, who was formerly executive vice president and CFO of MSHA • CIO: Martha Chill, the previous CIO of Wellmont Health System • Chief clinical officer: Jerry Blackwell, MD, who most recently served as president of the Wellmont CVA Heart Institute in Kingsport • System innovation and chief popula- tion health officer: Anthony Keck, the former senior vice president and chief development officer of MSHA • Chief nursing officer: Lisa Smithgall, BSN, MSN, PhD, who was formerly vice president of patient care services and CNO of Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport • Chief compliance officer: Paige Car- ter, the former director of audit and compliance services for MSHA • General counsel: Tim Belisle, who most recently served as the executive vice president of corporate compli- ance and general counsel of MSHA • Interim vice president of human re- sources: David Sensibaugh, who currently serves as CEO of Integrated Solutions Health Network, a regional health solutions company based in Johnson City • Vice president of Ballad Health Med- ical Services: Steve Kilgore, who was previously MSHA's senior vice presi- dent of retail, outpatient and ambula- tory services. • Vice president of market opera- tions: Eric Deaton, who was executive vice president and COO of Wellmont Health System Ballad Health also named the following market executives: • President of the southwest market: Stan Hickson, who formerly served as CEO of MSHA's northeast operating division and CEO of Johnston Memorial Hospi- tal in Abingdon, Va. • President of southeast mar- ket: Dwayne Taylor, the previous vice president and CEO for MSHA's south- east market • President of northwest market: Monty McLaurin, who was previously CEO and vice president of Indian Path Medical Center in Kingsport • President of northeast market: Greg Neal, who most recently served as president of Bristol (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center In addition, Ballad Health appointed Gary Miller as certificate of public ad- vantage compliance officer. Mr. Miller previously served as executive vice pres- ident and general counsel for Wellmont Health System. e merger that made Ballad Health possible rested on legislation passed in Tennessee and Virginia, which autho- rized the issuance of a COPA in Ten- nessee and a cooperative agreement in Virginia. e merger is the largest CO- PA-governed transaction to take place in the country to date. n CHS CEO Wayne Smith: Effects of Healthcare Consumerism Won't Kick in for Years By Alia Paavola W hile the move to consumerism in healthcare is an imminent, fast- paced change leaders are preparing for, Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems CEO Wayne Smith said it will take two to three years to see the effect of the transition, reported the Nashville Business Journal. Mr. Smith revealed his thoughts Jan. 25 as he moderated a discussion on pressing health- care industry topics at the Nashville Health Care Council's annual Wall Street's View on Prospects for the Health Care Industry luncheon. "Everybody in healthcare is talking about consumerism, connectivity and how we can do a better job in that respect," said Mr. Smith, according to the Nashville Business Journal. "It may be moving relatively fast but it will take awhile for it to really kick in. It may be two or three years before [we] see the im- pact of all that." Easier access to healthcare information and emerging technologies such as telemedicine may speed up the trend of consumerism, ac- cording to panelist Joshua Raskin, senior re- search analyst at Nephron Research. Another panelist, investment banking com- pany Credit Suisse's Managing Director A.J. Rice, spoke about how deals such as the po- tential CVS Health and Aetna merger reveal the push toward consumerism. Further, he explained industry leaders are just now be- ginning to feel the consumerism trend and are deciding how to react. "What we're told is the rate of increase [of consumerism] is moderating on the pene- tration of high-deductible plans," Mr. Rice said. "In addition to that, it probably takes you a year or two to figure out how to max- imize that benefit and that's still playing through the system, I think." While lower hospital admissions due to high-deductible health plans and evolving telemedicine technologies have healthcare leaders scrambling, the entire panel agreed an aging baby boomer generation, low unem- ployment and stabilization of the ACA give tra- ditional care providers reason for optimism. n