HOSPITALS, SYSTEMS
John Sideras, 51, stepped down as president and CEO of MetroHealth System in Cleveland. His departure stems from the board's annual review of the system's leadership model, according to a MetroHealth news release. In lieu of the president and CEO position, the board has created a collaborative 'office of the president'' that brings together the current CMO, CFO, general counsel and vice president of communications, said board Chairman William Gaskill in the release. The board expects to add a COO to the team by the end of January. ... West Penn Allegheny Health System named Christopher Olivia president and CEO. Olivia, 45, will succeed W. Keith Smith, the Pittsburgh-based system's interim CEO since the July resignation of Jerry Fedele over 'unresolved differences'' between the departing executive and West Penn Allegheny's board, the system said in a written statement announcing Fedele's exit. ... Ohio State University, Columbus, named David Schuller vice president for medical center expansion and outreach. He is assigned to carry out Ohio State University Medical Center's $1 billion expansion project. The leadership shuffle pulls Schuller, 63, from his position as president and CEO of the university's James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, replacing him with Michael Caligiuri. Caligiuri, 52, will continue his role as director of the university's Comprehensive Cancer Center. ... Deaconess Hospital, Oklahoma City, named Cathryn Hibbs as CEO, effective Jan. 1. Most recently, Hibbs, 55, served as a division vice president of operations for Community Health Systems, where she was responsible for 11 hospitals in Oklahoma and New Mexico. She succeeds Thomas Litz who left in September 2007, according to a hospital spokeswoman. ... Steve Goeser, 52, was promoted to president and CEO of Nebraska Methodist Hospital in Omaha. Goeser, who was executive vice president and COO started his new job Jan. 1. He replaced John Fraser, who was named president and CEO of Methodist Health System in March 2007, when the former president and CEO, Steve Long, retired.
INSURERS
Brian Sassi was named president and CEO of Indianapolis-based WellPoint's consumer business unit, while Leslie Margolin succeeds Sassi as president of Blue Cross of California, a WellPoint subsidiary. Sassi, 47, joined Blue Cross of California in 1989 and was named president in September 2006. He will assume his new role Feb. 1 and succeeds Joan Herman, who announced plans last year to retire this year. Blue Cross of California has been under fire for its handling of individual member policies. In March, the California Department of Managed Health Care fined the insurer $1 million for routinely rescinding policies in violation of state law. The agency's investigation is ongoing. Margolin, 52, is set to take over from Sassi as president and general manager of Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Blue Cross of California on Feb. 11. ... Richard Marks was named president of KPS Health Plans in Bremerton, Wash., effective Jan. 4. Marks, 60, had been serving as interim president for the past several months after the departure of Elizabeth Gilje, who resigned in July 2007 after eight years as president and CEO. KPS Health is a subsidiary of Group Health Cooperative, a not-for-profit health system in Seattle.
POST-ACUTE
LifeCare Holdings, Plano, Texas, named Wayne McAlister president and CEO, effective immediately. McAlister succeeds William Hamburg, who served as the long-term acute-care hospital company's interim CEO since August 2007. McAlister was senior vice president of Triad Hospitals, Plano, and division president of a group of the company's hospitals. LifeCare is owned by private equity firm the Carlyle Group. McAlister is one of many Triad Hospitals executives to find new jobs following the purchase of Triad by Community Health Systems last year (Oct. 22, 2007, p. 6).
