Chutes & Ladders—Walmart taps Ochsner exec to lead omnichannel health push; Slavitt steps in at Cityblock Health

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.


Walmart

David Carmouche, M.D.
(Oschner Health)

David Carmouche, M.D., has been hired by Walmart to lead the retailer’s omnichannel care organization, according to a Business Insider report that has been confirmed by a representative of Walmart.

Carmouche has spent the last six years at Ochsner Health Network, where he served as the Louisiana organization’s president and executive vice president of value-based care and network operations, as well as the senior vice president of community care for Ochsner Medical Center – Jefferson Highway.

While there, Carmouche oversaw the 34-hospital organization’s population health strategies, payer relations and value-based agreements.

Of note, he had hands-on experience working with Walmart when handling Ochsner’s accountable care plan for the retailer's southeast Louisiana employees, according to his executive bio.

Per the report, Carmouche will be heading up Walmart’s push to expand its clinical care offerings and operates under the official title of senior vice president of omnichannel care solutions. He is set to enter the new role Nov. 29.


Duke University Health System

Craig Albanese, M.D.
(Duke University
Health System)

Craig Albanese, M.D., is heading to Duke University Health System to serve as its executive vice president and chief operating officer.

An academic pediatric surgeon with more than a quarter-century of healthcare management experience, he currently serves as the group senior vice president and chief medical officer at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. There, he heads a team of chief medical officers across all eight of the 10-hospital system’s service lines while also overseeing quality, safety and infection prevention and control.

Albanese was also the chief operating officer at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and held other senior leadership positions as Stanford University and Stanford Health Care.

Albanese will step into the new position on Jan. 17, 2022, taking over for the outgoing William Fulkerson, M.D.


Everly Health

Cindy R. Kent
(Everly Health)

Cindy R. Kent has stepped on board with Everly Health to take up the role of its chief operating officer, the diagnostics and digital health company announced this week.

Kent comes straight from Brookdale Senior Living, where she was the executive vice president and president of senior living at the large retirement and assisted living community company.

She preceded that position with the president and general manager roles within 3M’s global infection prevention division and had leadership roles at Medtronic and 15 years at Eli Lilly & Co.

Kent is also currently part of the board of directors for Accolade and previously held a seat on the board at Best Buy to support its consumer health push.

She comes to her new company at a time of substantial growth—Everly Health recently closed its third acquisition in six months.


Cityblock Health

Andy Slavitt headshot
Andy Slavitt
(AVIA)

Andy Slavitt is logging a brief stint at Cityblock Health to lead its office of the CEO while usual top executive Iyah Room takes a six-month leave of absence to focus on his mental health.

The company formed an office of the CEO made up of its executive leadership team and led by Slavitt, who chairs the Alphabet spinout’s board.

Slavitt was previously the acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and a temporary senior adviser for the Biden administration’s COVID-19 response. He also founded Town Hall Ventures in 2018 to invest in companies that address vulnerable populations.

Town Hall Ventures is an investor in Cityblock Health, which combines primary care, behavioral health and chronic disease management services that address social determinants like transportation, housing and access to healthy food.

Romm’s leave of absence is slated to begin Nov. 5.


> Zipari, the maker of a consumer experience platform for health insurers, has appointed Tabatha Erck as president.

> Well Health, a patient communications software company, has named Sean Kelly, M.D., as chief medical officer. 

Steward Health Care has brought over Mass General Brigham’s Christopher Dunleavy to become its chief financial officer.

Commure, which provides an API development platform for healthcare, has added ex-Googler Christine Tibbits as chief people officer.

Saint Francis Healthcare, part of Tenet Healthcare, is bringing on Christopher Cosby as CEO of Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis and the broader Memphis market.

> The National Institutes of Health announced that Geoffrey Ginsburg, M.D., will be the next chief medical and scientific officer of the All of Us Research Program.

> Allina Health has promoted Christine Moore to executive vice president, chief human resources and administrative officer.

Great Plains Health has announced Ivan Mitchell as its next CEO, effective Jan. 1.

Providence Digital Innovation Group, the health system’s innovation center, has added Andy Chu as its senior vice president of product and technology.

St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital, both part of Dignity Health, have seen the resignation of President and CEO Darren Lee.

Fort Hamilton Hospital, part of Kettering Health, named Paul Hoover as president and Steve Chavez as chief financial officer.

ScienceIO, healthcare AI and data company, has picked up former Optum vice president Chuck Smolky to serve as its chief commercial officer.

Epocrates, an app-based medical education tool, has hired Casey Jenkins as vice president of product.

HRGi Holdings has named Dhiraj Patkar as vice president of product strategy and management.