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.
Alignment Healthcare
Insurer Alignment Healthcare announced this week it is hiring Sebastian Burzacchi as chief operating officer of its management services organization and Andreas Wagner as chief people officer.
Burzacchi will work to “enhance provider partnerships” and Wagner will oversee “development of internal talent,” according to a press release.
While Burzacchi spent one year with Veho and seven years with Oscar Health in the operations department, Wagner comes from an aerospace background. He previously worked in human resources for Aerojet Rocketdyne, TE Connectivity and Bombardier.
AmeriHealth Caritas
Effective Feb. 1, AmeriHealth Caritas has tapped Kelly Munson as president and CEO of the company. AmeriHealth Caritas provides integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy and behavioral health services.
She most recently served as president of Aetna Medicaid, leading the $18.5 billion program with 2.8 million members. Before then she spent 14 years at WellCare Health Plans and five years with Hometown Health Network in Massillon, Ohio.
The national search to appoint Munson was conducted with input from joint owners Independence Health Group and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
HHS
In a newly created role, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has named Stacy Sanders as chief competition officer.
She will be responsible for helping the agency implement the Inflation Reduction Act, promote competition and lower prescription drug costs, among other duties. She is also tasked with working closely with the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to push back “concentration in healthcare markets through data-sharing and reciprocal training programs,” according to a press release.
Sanders previously served on the Senate Special Committee on Aging and as federal policy director for the Medicare Rights Center.
> Sutter Health, a nonprofit health system in Northern California, has poached Raju Iyer from the University of California, San Francisco health system as senior vice president and CFO.
> Memorial Health System, a medical complex in Mississippi, has appointed Mary Brobst as chief nursing officer.
> Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, has announced former CDC Foundation Chief Health Equity and Strategy Officer Lauren Smith, M.D., as vice president of strategic portfolios.
> Marin Health, an integrated health system in California, has hired Anita Chandrasena, M.D., as chief medical officer.
> University of Florida Health, an academic health center in Gainesville, has selected Kent Bailey as vice president of finance.
> Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, founded in 1898, has selected George Hickman as chief digital and information officer, replacing Tom Furlani who retires this month.
> The Freedom Institute, a Manhattan outpatient treatment and recovery center in collaboration with Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, has named Andrew Tatarsky as director of clinical programming.
> The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a nonprofit working to improve health care quality, has appointed Tia Butler as chief people and diversity officer and Tricia Elliot as vice president of quality implementation in the Quality Measurement and Research Group.
> Carrum Health, a Centers of Excellence healthcare platform for employers, has selected Jess Compagnola as CFO.
> Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a subsidiary of Point32 Health, has named Emily Oken, M.D., as president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and chair of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Population Medicine.
> Progyny, a fertility and women’s health benefits solution, has announced Katie Higgins as chief commercial officer and Steven Leist as chief technology officer. Both are newly created roles for the company.
> Healthmine, a member engagement solution to help health plans achieve operational targets, has added Michael Hasbany to its advisory board.
> MVP Health Care, a nonprofit health insurer in New York and Vermont, has elected James Reed, M.D., to its board of directors.
> NYU Langone Health, an integrated academic medical center, has promoted Joseph Lhota to chief financial officer, replacing Daniel Widawsky on Feb. 1.
> Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts has appointed Abha Agrawal, M.D., as its new president and CEO.
> RhythmX AI, a generative AI company with a precision care platform for doctors, has tapped Microsoft Health & Life Sciences Solutions and Platforms Corporate Vice President Joe Petro to its advisory board.
> Lifepoint Health, a healthcare delivery network, has named Traci Nordberg to a newly created role of senior vice president of people services.
> The American Society of Hematology, an organization dedicated toward treating and preventing blood disorders, has opted for Mohandas Narla as president through December 2024.
> Kootenai Health, a health system in northern Idaho, has named Jameson Smith as its next CEO, effective March 11.
> Orthofix Medical, a spine and orthopedics company, has named Massimo Calafiore as president, CEO and to the board of directors. The company also named Julie Andrews as CFO.
> ADVI Health, a life sciences data and consulting firm, has elected Rod Cavin and Scott Howell to its board of directors.
> Cary Medical Center in Maine has tapped Benjamin Willey as chief facilities and project officer.
> HealthPartners, an integrated health care organization offering services and plan financing, has hired Mohammad Suleiman as senior vice president of commercial business for its health plan.
> Jacksonville Memorial Hospital has appointed Carrie Carls as chief nursing officer.
> VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia has appointed Jim Willis as chief operating officer, a position he’s been serving at an interim capacity since March 2023.
> VBA, a healthcare software company for payers, has named Joe Richlen has chief revenue officer.
> agilon health, an organization that helps providers transition to value-based care models, has announced Timothy Bensley is retiring as CFO this year but will remain in the position until his replacement is found.
> Broward Health, a health system in South Florida, has hired former CEO for Baptist Health Medical Group and Cleveland Clinic Florida Bernardo Fernandez, M.D., as its corporate physician executive.
> LucidHealth, a network of community-based radiology practices, has announced Dan Howell as regional vice president of Midwest Radiology Services.
> Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has poached Nick Ragone from Ascension to be its executive vice president and chief marketing, communications and experience officer, according to a LinkedIn post.
> Sanford Health, a rural health system based in South Dakota, has hired Scott Wooten as its CFO.
> Advocate Health Care, under the Advocate Health umbrella, has named Allison Wyler as president of the Central Chicagoland area and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.