Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please submit the good news—or the bad—from your shop, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Adventist HealthCare
Maryland health system Adventist HealthCare has announced Terry Forde, president and CEO, is stepping down, effective Aug. 2. He will become president and CEO of Health First, a fully integrated health system in Central Florida.
Forde will replace Kent Smith, who served as interim president and CEO since February 2023.
"In Terry we found an experienced and sympathetic leader who shares our passion for patient safety, is committed to providing high reliability, has a proven history of success, and tenacity in building strong, lasting culture," said Smith, who is also a board of trustees’ chair.
CareSource
National nonprofit managed care organization CareSource has named Fred Schulz as chief operating officer.
He will be tasked with overseeing operations, network, digital strategy, provider communications and more, according to a news release.
Schultz previously worked for 11 years at Aetna. He also spent four years with WellCare and five years at UnitedHealth Group.
Memora Health
Memora Health, a care enablement platform that partners with health systems, plans and digital health companies to help clinicians transform the care delivery process, has added two new faces to its C-suite and promoted two other members.
The company named former Virta Health Chief Product Officer Divya Bhat in the same role and hired Herman Ng as CFO from Branch Metrics. Memora also announced Nathan Leong as general counsel and James Colbert, M.D., as chief medical officer.
"I'm excited to join the team and help realize Manav and Kunaal's vision to revolutionize both the patient and clinician experience. Memora's platform has already shown promising results in giving patients access to high-quality, evidence-based support before, after, and in-between their clinician visits, while at the same time reducing burden on care teams to manage this communication load," said Bhat in a statement.
> naviHealth, a post-acute care software services company under the UnitedHealth Group umbrella, has appointed Heather Jarret as the new leader of the Optum Home & Community and the Care Transitions business, effective this summer. She replaces CEO Harrison Frist, who is resigning from the position, Fierce Healthcare learned.
> Alaffia Health, a claims operation company for health plans, has announced Amish Jani to its board of directors, Fierce Healthcare reported.
> Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has hired Chirs Boles as vice president of Medicare and Individual segments and Melissa Flicek as chief information officer.
> Transcarent, an employee healthcare navigation company, has named Laurie McGraw as executive vice president.
> The Indiana Hospital Association alerted the board of directors President Brian Tabor is stepping down from his role.
> Better Medicare Alliance, an industry-backed coalition working to defend and bolster Medicare Advantage, has announced Teal Baker as chief operating officer.
> West Virginia University Health System has announced Steve Altmiller is retiring from his role as president and CEO of the WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center.
> CCS, a provider of collaborative care programs, has selected Scott Streator as senior vice president of enterprise solutions.
> HealthPartners, an integrated health care organization in Bloomington, Minnesota, has named former University of Iowa Health Care chief operating officer Emily Blomberg as president of Regions Hospital and the Regions Hospital Foundation.
> Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization has appointed Adam Cheriff, M.D., as chief operating officer, effective May 1.
> Alivi Health, a provider of transportation and specialty benefits, has named Mike Van Pelt as director of implementations.
> Stanford Medicine Children’s Health has appointed Marc Melcher, M.D., as chief of the division of abdominal transplantation.
> HealthSource of Ohio, the state’s largest community health center, has tapped Jody Prather, M.D., as president and CEO, effective May 30. She replaces Kim Patton, who is retiring.
> Accessia Health, a nonprofit assistance organization for people with rare or chronic health conditions, has hired Tiara Green as president on a permanent basis.
> Children’s Hospital of Orange County has named Emma Sandhu as chief quality and patient officer.
> Interwell Health, a kidney care management company partnering with physicians, has tapped Clark Curtis as chief people officer.
> Winona, a menopause telehealth company, has selected Cathleen Brown, M.D., as medical director.
> Availity, a health information network, has announced Sean Barrett as chief product officer.
> Ardent Health, a health system based in Nashville, Tennessee, has named Lisa Gutierrez as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
> Wisp, a reproductive health care provider, has appointed Jillian Lopiano, M.D., as chief health officer.
> Southeast Georgia Health System has announced Stephen Grigsby Jr. as vice president and CFO, effective April 29.