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.
Walgreens Boots Alliance
John Driscoll was picked by Walgreens Boots Alliance to lead U.S. healthcare, including Walgreens Health, as executive vice president and president. Driscoll will report directly to Roz Brewer, CEO of WBA.
Driscoll joined the company after WBA accelerated its plans to gain full ownership over CareCentrix. Driscoll has held the role of chief executive officer of the home care provider for nearly a decade. His tenure in healthcare spans 25 years and includes companies such as Castlight Health where he served as president, group president at Medco and founder of Surescripts ePrescribing Network.
WBA completed its purchase of CareCentrix as it continues to expand into primary care, post-acute care and home care. The deal to purchase the remaining 45% of the company for roughly $392 million is slated to be completed in March 2023.
As Driscoll moves into his new role later this month, CareCentrix Chief Financial Officer Steve Horowitz will assume the role of CareCentrix chief executive officer.
Hims & Hers Health
Brian O’Shaughnessy has be tapped as Hims & Hers Health’s first chief communications officer, and Josh Krueger has been named vice president of fulfillment operations.
O’Shaughnessy is a Silicon Valley communications veteran with experience at Google and Skype. At Google, he led consumer product communications across a handful of products and services, including the first Android-powered device, the Chrome browser and the internationalization and monetization of YouTube.
Kruger brings over a decade of experience in fulfillment leadership roles at Walmart and Amazon. During his seven-year tenure at Amazon, Krueger helped open four one-million-plus square foot fulfillment centers and launch and operate Amazon’s first fully scaled robotics fulfillment center.
The two are the most recent leadership appointments with others including Chief Financial Officer Yemi Okupe, Chief Growth Officer Mike Chi and SVP of Human Resources Amee Parekh.
AmeriHealth Caritas
AmeriHealth Caritas announced the appointment of Ash Hanson as executive vice president and chief human resources officer.
In her new roles, Hanson will oversee associate relations, learning, development, benefits and recruiting for the company’s 8,000 associates. She brings 20 years of experience at Aramark where she most recently held the position of chief diversity and sustainability officer.
“AmeriHealth Caritas is committed to being a place where all associates can learn, grow and work together to make a positive impact in the communities we serve,” said AmeriHealth Caritas CEO Paul Tufano. “Central to that mission is ensuring our workforce represents the diversity of voices and experiences essential to innovative solutions for those most in need. Ash’s demonstrated leadership in creating impactful HR solutions will strengthen our workforce and advance our mission of building healthy communities.”
Hanson succeeds Carol Pandza, who will retire at the end of the year.
MetroPlusHealth
Erin Drinkwater was named MetroPlusHealth’s first chief of government relations and strategic partnerships.
In the new position, Drinkwater will develop relationships with elected officials to advance MetroPlusHealth’s mission of equity advancement in New York City’s underserved communities through local, state and federal legislation.
Drinkwater joins NYC’s health plan after 20 years in government and nonprofit work including legislative advocacy and policy analysis. She worked as deputy commissioner of intergovernmental and legislative affairs at the NYC Department of Social Services. In this position, she functioned as the agency's intergovernmental representative to various government levels.
“I am thrilled to join the dynamic team at MetroPlusHealth to advance the goal of providing low to no cost, high-quality health care,” Drinkwater said. “Throughout my career, I have been focused on making government programs and services more accessible. I look forward to bringing my decades of experience serving New Yorkers in need to my new role.”
> CVS Health welcomed Gary Nuzzi as vice president of public and government affairs.
> CirrusMD, the on-demand virtual care provider, tapped Jamie Hall as president and chief executive officer and also elected him to the company's board of directors.
> NorthBay Health Chief Financial Officer Michele Bouit will step down from the role at the health system Nov. 18.
> Zing Health, a Medicare Advantage plan focused on the underserved, has appointed Ben Miller as its new chief growth officer.
> Parkview Health announced that Mike Packnett is retiring as chief executive officer of the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based health system.
> Columbia Memorial Health announced that Jay Cahalan is set to retire at the end of 2022. Dorothy Urschel will take his place as president and chief executive officer.
> Phoenix-based Banner Health named Michael Kupferman, M.D., its senior vice president of physician enterprise.
> Wiggin and Dana LLP announced that Jolie Apicella, former assistant U.S. attorney and healthcare fraud chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, is joining the firm’s New York office as a partner in its litigation, healthcare and white collar departments.
> Florida-based Memorial Healthcare System picked Monica Puga to fill the role of chief nursing executive.
> MyndVR hired Robin Viles as the new senior vice president of clinical operations of the virtual reality care company.
> Wisp, a digital health company, appointed Laura Purdy, M.D., to be their chief medical officer.
> Mount Carmel Health System chose Andy Priday as chief financial officer of the Ohio-based health system.
> Bicycle Health, a virtual opioid use disorder treatment platform, announced the hiring of two new executives on its leadership team: Chief Technology Officer Chris Norris and Chief Commercial Officer Justin Guadagno.
> TeleTracking, a healthcare operations company, unveiled Michelle Skinner as chief clinical executive.