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.
Thousands of employees were laid off at the Department of Health and Human Services this week amidst DOGE-led cuts. If you are a dismissed or active federal worker with information to share, please reach out at [email protected]. Read more here.
Rick Majzun, president and COO, Stanford Children’s
Rick Majzun, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, has been promoted to president and COO. In his new role, Majzun will work more directly on strategic, operational, regulatory and financial management of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
Majzun, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, joined the Stanford Children’s executive team in 2019, continuing his three-decade career in adult and children’s academic healthcare.
“Rick’s extensive experience and dedication to improving health care quality, service, and innovation have been instrumental in our growth and success. We will continue working together to fulfill our mission at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health,” Paul A. King, CEO at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, said in a statement.
Majzun plays a key leadership role at Stanford Children’s to advance the organization’s core goals. Additionally, he mentors team members in pursuit of professional development and collaborates closely with faculty and staff.
“I am honored to step into the role of President and COO. Working alongside such a talented and dedicated team has been an incredible experience. Together, we will continue to strive for excellence and innovation in pediatric health care,” Majzun said in a statement.
Prior to joining Stanford Children’s, Majzun served in several executive leadership roles at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island; St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis; and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was also a senior consultant at Ernst & Young in St. Louis and an administrative fellow at Henry Ford Health in Detroit.
Jonathan D’Souza, CPO and CTO, HarmonyCares
HarmonyCares, a leading value-based care provider of in-home primary care services for people with complex healthcare needs, announced it has hired Jonathan D’Souza as chief product and technology officer. D’Souza will lead the company’s efforts to harness advances in technology aimed at enriching patient-provider interactions, enhancing patient care, and improving operational and workflow efficiency for in-home care providers, in turn helping scale the company’s care model.
D’Souza brings more than 30 years of healthcare technology experience to HarmonyCares, primarily focused on the development and delivery of workflow and decision-support solutions for clinical operations and population health at Epic, Microsoft and Optum. Most recently, he was responsible for the analytics and technology systems that powered MedArrive’s home-based care programs.
“Jonathan joins us at a critical moment in our journey, as we heavily invest in new technology that helps our care teams be more efficient and drive better health outcomes for our patients,” Matt Chance, CEO of HarmonyCares, said in a release. “His expertise will be instrumental as we implement a new EHR and as we continue to assess new and innovative technology that helps us further our mission of providing high-quality healthcare in the home for people who have difficulty accessing care.”
Last summer, HarmonyCares raised $200 million of capital to bring its in-home value-based primary care model to more people across the U.S. A large part of that investment was earmarked for upgrading HarmonyCares’ logistic technology and upgrading its EHR system. As such, D’Souza’s appointment represents a strategic milestone in the company’s growth journey.
Regence Health Plans' new sales leadership roles in Washington and Oregon
Regence Health Plans has shifted its lead sales team after Michael Cole, who has served as president for Regence in Oregon since 2023, added Washington to his portfolio while retaining his role as president of the Oregon health plan. Cole said the new regional leadership team reflects the changing nature of the Pacific Northwest market.
Stacy Crim, who has served as vice president of small business in Washington since 2022, will take an expanded role as vice president, Washington market, adding leadership of account management in the state to her current duties. Renee Balsiger will continue in her role as vice president, Oregon market.
Stephanie Walker, who has served as vice president of key accounts in Washington since 2022, will be vice president for the Washington state Health Care Authority (HCA) and public sector, adding oversight of all public-sector accounts to her current duties overseeing the HCA business.
Tracy Olsen, who has served as director of new sales in Oregon since 2023, will take an expanded role as director of new sales in both Oregon and Washington.
“Oregon and Washington have much more in common than they have apart, with employers, providers and brokers increasingly working across state lines,” Cole, president for Regence in both states, said in a statement. “Our new leadership structure will allow us to best meet the needs of our customers and the communities we serve.”
Crim has worked in account management and strategic planning in the healthcare industry for 25 years and has lived in Washington for more than two decades. She holds a master’s degree of health administration from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University.
Balsiger has more than 30 years of industry experience working collaboratively with employer groups across the Western market. She is a lifelong Oregonian and holds a bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University.
Walker has more than 30 years of experience working in account management, product development, provider network management and operations for health plans both in Washington and on the West Coast. She has a bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University.
Olsen has two decades of experience in employee benefits and health insurance solutions in the Northwest. He is an Oregon native and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon.
> ACU-Serve, a provider of healthcare revenue cycle optimization solutions, has announced the appointment of Grant Porteous as its new Chief Technology Officer.
> Cigna Healthcare has tapped Paul Virtell as president of Supplement Health.
> Brian Hilberdink has been tapped as the president of U.S. human pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim.
> AI nursing agent company Drive Health has appointed Shane Power as its president.
> Novant Health redesigned its leadership operating model after significant expansion into South Carolina. The following individuals now have new or expanded roles.
- John Gizdic, executive vice president and chief operating officer, is responsible for acute care, integrated care solutions, nursing and clinical services, and, in North Carolina, the Triad and Coastal Regions.
- Dean Swindle, executive vice president, chief strategy officer and president of Novant Health Enterprises, is responsible for ambulatory care, physician enterprise, integrated value-based care model, strategy, Novant Health Enterprises, and the Charlotte and South Carolina Regions, as well as growth regions.
- Saad Ehtisham now serves as senior vice president and president of acute operations, while a new senior vice president and president of ambulatory operations will be recruited.
- Sid Fletcher, M.D., Ernie Bovio and Jason Bernd were named senior vice president and president of the Charlotte, Coastal and South Carolina Regions, respectively. A senior vice president and president of the Triad Region will be recruited.
- Bill Schiff is now senior vice president and chief operating officer of Novant Health Enterprises Management Service and chief payer officer for Novant Health.
- Michael Vacarro takes on an expanded role as senior vice president, nursing and clinical services.
- Becky Bean assumes the expanded role of senior vice president, integrated care solutions.
- Alisha Hutchens has been named president, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, Novant Health Medical Park Hospital and acute care operations for the Triad Region.
- Laurie Whalin is now president, Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and acute care operations for the Coastal Region.