Chutes & Ladders—Allscripts CEO announces immediate resignation; Definitive Healthcare CEO, founder hands over the keys

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.


Allscripts

Paul Black
(Allscripts)

Paul Black, CEO of electronic health record company Allscripts, announced plans to step down from the top role during the company’s first-quarter earnings call.

Black has been at the helm since the company’s 2012 leadership upheaval, when he took over for Allscripts founder Glen Tullman.

Earlier chapters in his career included 12 years with IBM Corporation and over 13 years at Cerner Corporation, culminating in a chief operating officer role he departed in 2007.

During the call, Black said that it was a natural time for him to step down as Allscripts completes the sale of its hospital business unit and focuses its attention on Veradigm, its data analytics business.

Rick Poulton
(Allscripts)

Black’s resignation goes into effect on Friday, May 6.

He is being succeeded by Rick Poulton, who currently serves as Allscripts’ president and chief financial officer.

Poulton has been with Allscripts in the latter title since 2012, and prior to that was the chief financial officer and treasurer for AAR Corp. He’s also held roles at UAL Corporation, online retailer Ourhouse.com and Arthur Andersen & Co.


Definitive Healthcare

Jason Krantz
(Definitive Healthcare)

Jason Krantz, CEO, chairman and founder of Definitive Healthcare, is handing the keys to current President Robert Musslewhite after an 11-year run leading the healthcare commercial intelligence company, its board of directors announced Thursday afternoon.

Krantz founded Definitive Healthcare in 2011 in the wake of Infinata, an online database of pharmaceutical information he’d also founded back in 1999. Krantz grew Definitive Healthcare over more than a decade, leading it through a $420-million IPO and eventually reaching more than $200 million annualized revenue run rate and almost 3,000 customers.

Robert Musslewhite
(Definitive Healthcare)

His successor has been with the company since June 2021 as a member of the board and since October 2021 as its president. The latter role saw Musslewhite take the reins on all of Definitive Healthcare’s commercial business, such as sales, marketing and mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to that, Musslewhite was CEO of research and insight firm The Advisory Board Company, which was acquired by Optum in late 2017. He then held a handful of top roles across Optum360, Optum Analytics and OptumInsight.

Krantz will be sticking around on his company’s board as its new executive chairman. The transition will go into effect on Aug. 1.


Avera Health

David Flicek
(Avera Health)

David Flicek was named this week as the next chief operating officer for Avera Health, a role he’ll be adding to his prior responsibilities as the chief administrative officer for Avera Medical Group.

The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native has been with Avera since 1995. Of note, he is currently the president and CEO of the flagship Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, a position he’ll be vacating with the upcoming responsibilities.

Additionally, Flicek has led the system’s medical group since 2008 and grown it from seven employed providers and two locations to more than 1,200 providers and over 200 locations across five states.

Avera President and CEO Bob Sutton said in the announcement that Flicek’s new position will be key to ensuring strategic alignment and cohesion as the 37-hospital system continues to target growth. Flicek will step onto the job in October and in the meantime work to ensure a smooth transition from his role at the hospital.


Quorum Health

Stuart McLean
(Quorum Health)

Stuart McLean has been tapped as the new interim CEO of Quorum Health after current CEO Dan Slipkovich moved forward with “an accelerated retirement to focus on family commitments,” parent company Quincy Health announced last week.

McLean is currently a managing director with Alvarez and Marsal and has held a range of healthcare leadership roles within the past quarter-century, including at Temple University Health System and Northwell Health (then North Shore-LIJ Health System).

Dan Slipkovich
(Quorum Health)

His time in these and other roles saw the executive heading strategic planning and implementation initiatives across the gamut of for-profit, non-profit, community and academic provider organizations. He stepped into his new role on May 2.

Slipkovich—who will stay on in an advisory role and remains an equity partner in the company—took on the CEO role in June 2021 amidst a leadership shakeup and in the wake of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. He had joined the company as a member of its board of managers in July 2020 and was handed the interim CEO position two months later.


Humana

Sarah Moyer, M.D.
(Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government)

Sarah Moyer, M.D., was reeled away from her role as the director and chief health strategist of Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness for a new position as the chief medical officer for Humana’s Kentucky Medicaid business, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer reportedly announced.

A graduate of the Temple University School of Medicine and an appointed faculty member of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Services, Moyer stepped into the role of medical director in 2015 before adding department director and chief health strategist for the city of Louisville to her plate in 2017.

Moyer’s first couple of years at the head of the public health department came with a major realignment and organizational restructuring. She also led the department as it achieved national accreditation, launched Kentucky’s first syringe exchange program and continues to fend off the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moyer is set to begin her new role with Humana’s Healthy Horizons program on July 5 but will stay on to advise the mayor through the end of the fiscal year.

Jeff Howard, M.D., the public health department’s current medical director, will take over Moyer’s roles in an interim capacity beginning May 27.


> Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts brought on Jake Biscoglio as its senior vice president of commercial products and customer solutions.

> MyMichigan Health tapped Bryan Cross as chief operating officer.

> Adventist Health named Joyce Newmyer as chief people officer.

> Froedtert Health promoted Caryn Esten to the roles of senior vice president and chief strategy and transformation officer.

> BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee named Rose Lee as vice president and chief information security officer.

> Guthrie Clinic tapped Elizabeth Jaekle as its executive vice president and chief strategy officer.

> ResMed announced the departure of Jim Hollingshead, its president of sleep and respiratory care. Rob Douglas, president and chief operating officer, will be taking over the empty role in an interim capacity.

> Ascension promoted two senior leaders to ministry market executive roles: Don King, who will become senior vice president and the ministry market executive for Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast; and Kevin Strecker, who will become senior vice president and ministry market executive for Ascension Kansas.

> Zipari announced Stan Opstad as its new chief product officer.

> Blue Shield of California unveiled Tim Lieb as its new senior vice president of commercial markets.  

> AVIA named Daniel Clark as senior vice president of the Center for Care Transformation.

> Baystate Health announced Joanne Miller as chief nursing executive.

> Memorial Healthcare System, in Florida, chose Scott Wester as its next president and CEO.

> Headspace Health added Wizdom Powell as chief social impact diversity officer and Jodi Bryant as chief commercial officer.

> Seattle Children’s named Dondi Cupp its new senior vice president and chief development officer.

> Resilience Lab, a behavioral health tech company, appointed Vijay Singh as head of product and technology.

> HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital announced Karim Ghanem as its vice president of operations.

> Lifelink Systems, a conversational AI company, added Anil Nair as chief technology officer.