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.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(LinkedIn)
Meena Seshamani, M.D., was named as the next deputy administrator and director of Center for Medicare, effective July 6.
Seshamani comes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from MedStar Health, where she was vice president of clinical care transformation and oversaw population health and value-based care initiatives. She was also an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Seshamani is no stranger to health policy. Her time at MedStar was preceded by a position at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she helped implement the Affordable Care Act as the director of the Office of Health Reform. She also recently led the Biden-Harris Transition HHS Agency Review Team.
In her new position, Seshamani will head the Center for Medicare’s efforts targeting those 65 years and older, those with disabilities and those with end-stage renal disease with Medicare coverage. She’ll step in for Cheri Rice, who has held the role in an acting capacity.
Bon Secours Mercy Health
(LinkedIn)
Jason Szczuka has been tapped by Bon Secours Mercy Health to serve as the Catholic health system’s first chief digital officer.
Szczuka has held digital roles at startups and large payers alike.
The former includes Brighter, a digital health plan engagement platform that was acquired by Cigna in late 2017. Szczuka stayed at Cigna and until recently served as its chief digital officer in charge of leading digital-first growth initiatives. Other names on his résumé include UnitedHealth Group and GE Capital.
With Bon Secours Mercy Health, Szczuka will lead an analytics, IT and innovation team that will support the system’s adoption of digital services meeting patients’ needs and improve their care experiences. He will report to CEO John Starcher.
Flume Health
(Flume Health)
Ann Joo Kim is joining newly launched health plan administration platform Flume Health as its chief operating officer.
Kim recently spent a year and a half as program director of Haven, the ill-fated workforce health benefits venture formed by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway.
Alongside consulting gigs, her background also includes a decade at Amalgamated Life Insurance Company—four years as its vice president of strategic planning and six as its senior vice president responsible for claims, pension and customer service.
In her new role at the startup, Kim will be working to scale operations and accelerate the platform’s adoption by self-insured employers.
HCA Healthcare
(Regional Medical
Center of San Jose)
Kenneth West has stepped up as the president and CEO of HCA Healthcare’s Regional Medical Center of San Jose.
West has been with HCA Healthcare since 2009, beginning his time as associate chief operating officer at its Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. He followed that position with roles as the vice president, chief operating officer and ethics and compliance officer of the system’s Medical Center of Trinity in Trinity, Florida.
West was named as Regional Medical Center’s chief operating officer upon his arrival in 2018. Now at the top of the 1,300-plus employee hospital’s leadership chain, he will be responsible for advancing its culture, operations, clinical quality, finances and growth.
West is replacing Tomi Rybe, who was previously tapped by HCA Healthcare to serve as the president and CEO of its Good Samaritan Hospital, also in San Jose.
> The National Quality Forum has announced Dana Gelb Safran, M.D., as its next president and CEO, effective Aug. 16.
> University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health President and CEO Lyle E. Sheldon will retire at the end of the year after 34 years with the health system.
> Edifecs, a health tech company focused on interoperability, analytics and value-based care payments, named Venkat Kavarthapu as its new CEO. Sunny Singh, who currently holds the position, will transition to chairman of the board.
> Biofourmis, a virtual care and digital therapeutics company, has tapped Sheeza Khawar Hussain as its first-ever chief commercial officer.
> Dollar General has appointed Albert Wu, M.D. as vice president and chief medical officer to support the retailer’s planned expansion of its healthcare offerings.
> UNC Health Southeastern has named Chris Ellington as its new president and CEO following the retirement of Joann Anderson planned for Dec. 31.
> AdventHealth Hendersonville will see Brandon Nudd take on the mantles of president and CEO on Aug. 1.
> Wellframe, a digital care management company, has appointed Teladoc vet Terry Beck as its senior vice president of growth.