ACHE's annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership will be held this year on March 11 – 14 at the Hilton Chicago/Palmer House Hilton. The theme for the conference is "Changing Healthcare by Design". Make your plans to attend now, registration is open.

The annual conference attracts more than 4,500 healthcare leaders from across the globe to bring the best in professional development, exceptional networking opportunities and innovative ideas to challenges we face in the industry today.

There will be more than 140 seminars, general sessions and other events addressing crucial topics such as quality and safety, patient-centered care, physician alignment and financial strategies.

Fine-tune your leadership skills with management seminars, personal assessment, career counseling, resume review and more.

Speakers this year include Thomas C. Dolan, PhD, FACHE, CAE and president and CEO of ACHE for the last twenty-one years; Ramanathan M. Raju, MD, FACHE and CEO of Cook County Health and Hospitals System; Donna E. Shalala, PhD and president of University of Miami; and Connie Mariano, MD and General Internist and retired Navy Rear Admiral.

A special tribute will be made to Tom Dolan and his twenty-two years of service as ACHE's president and CEO. Tom is retiring from ACHE in May.

The Board will host a reception and dinner on Tuesday, March 12 to recognize Tom's commitment to diversity and inclusion in healthcare leadership.

Proceeds from the dinner will establish a scholarship program – The Thomas C. Dolan Diversity in Executive Leadership Program.

HCA will host an Executive Recruitment Team Suite during the 2013 Healthcare Leadership Congress at the Hilton Chicago Monday, March 11th - Wednesday, March 13th.  We invite you to come by and visit to learn more about employment opportunities at HCA.

Dell Oliver and Carla Worthey from Executive Development along with Mark Dupay, Mary Perry, and Michael Ginsberg from Executive Recruiting will be your hosts and available throughout the event. Event times are Monday, March 11th – Tuesday, March 12th (7:00AM-4:30PM CST)  & Wednesday, March 13th (7:00AM – 11:30AM CST).

Stay up to date on details by following us on Twitter or subscribing to the Executive blog.

Congratulations to Jason Cobb, Lisa Wilson and Ben Kolman in their new executive leadership roles. Jason has been named CEO to Rapides Healthcare System and to Rapides Regional Medical Center. Lisa will take over as CEO of OU Medical Center Edmond. And Ben is now CEO for Lakeview Regional Medical Center.

Jason comes to Rapides Regional from Lakeview Regional out of the Midwest Division where he served as CEO since May 2007. He replaces David Williams, who was named CEO of Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Mo.in November of last year.

During his time at Lakeview, Jason saw the hospital named as a Top Performer by the Joint Commission and ranked #1 for Outpatient Satisfaction. He also oversaw the development of both a Heart Center and Surgical Institute.

While he has spent the majority of his career at facilities in Louisiana, Jason says he's “honored to join Rapides Regional, which is known throughout Louisiana for its outstanding level of healthcare. I’m very pleased to continue the works of an extraordinary healthcare team with a reputation for providing high quality care and superior outcomes for their patients.”

“The CEO Search Committee is pleased with the caliber of Jason’s experience and vision for Rapides Regional Medical Center’s future,” said Joe Rosier, chairman of Rapides Healthcare System. “Jason’s experience in healthcare is highlighted with significant achievements in the area of patient and employee satisfaction, as well as service line growth and physician relations.”

Jason has formerly served as Administrator/CEO of Willis-Knighton Pierremont Hospital in Shreveport and as Vice President of Operations at Tulane University Hospital and Clinic in New Orleans. He has served as COO of West Houston Medical Center and Sugar Land Medical Center.

He holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, his MBA from Texas A&M and MHA from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

“I’m excited about coming to a community that reminds me of where I grew up,” Jason added. “I’ve long admired the growth of Rapides Regional, and I look forward to making a lasting contribution to this facility, its staff, our patients and the community as a whole.”

Jason's first day at Rapides was Jan. 7.

Lisa starts her new role as OU Medical Center Edmond CEO on February 4. She currently serves as CEO of Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas.

Lisa got her start in healthcare in Amarillo, Texas, where she launched numerous core business initiatives for the Northwest Texas Hospital System. Under her management as COO of Centennial Hills, the hospital saw a reduction in operating costs while undergoing expansion efforts in surgical services, diagnostic imaging and inpatient care, and the introduction of neurosurgery and spinal surgery.

“We are very excited to welcome Lisa into the OU Medicine family, and have no doubt that her leadership at OU Medical Center Edmond will bring tremendous benefits to the community and beyond in the coming years. Lisa and her family are delighted to become engaged citizens of Edmond, and her enthusiasm for the community is essential in this important leadership position,” said Chuck Spicer, CEO of the OU Medical System.

At OU, Lisa will lead strategic growth initiatives and provide operational oversight while working with city leaders, physicians and employees to serve the Edmond community.

OU Edmond is currently undergoing renovation designed to enhance the patient experience through improved comfort and updated amenities during their stay.

“I am excited to join the team at OU Medical Center Edmond and look forward to working with the medical staff and employees to continue the tradition of providing quality, patient-centered care to the people of Edmond,” Lisa said.

She earned her Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration from Wayland Baptist University in Amarillo, Texas. She also has a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stephen F. Austin State University. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on numerous committees for ACHE and other organizations.

Coming full circle in our story, Ben Kolman, formerly CEO of Lafayette Regional Health Center in Lexington will start his new role at Lakeview Regional Medical Center where Jason Cobb formerly served, effective February 4.

It' a good opportunity, Ben says. “This is a healthy change for the hospital organization.”

Ben has been with HCA for twenty years, at Lafayette for eighteen. He has served as CEO of LRHC since 2003 and will be succeeded by Darrel Box, the hospital's current vice president of operations.

Congratulations to all on their promotions.

As noted on the last ACHE update, ACHE's annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership will be held this year on March 11 – 14 at the Hilton Chicago/Palmer House Hilton.

We now have confirmation of the HCA Executive Recruitment Team Suite for the event at the Hilton Chicago as Suite 1180.

Event times in the suite again are as follows:

Monday, March 11 – Tuesday, March 12: 7:00AM – 4:30PM CST

Wednesday, March 13: 7:00AM – 11:30AM CST

Again, that's Suite 1180. Don't miss out!

Dell Oliver and Carla Worthey from Executive Development along with Mark Dupay, Mary Perry and Michael Ginsberg from Executive Recruiting will be your hosts and are available throughout the event.

We invite you to come by and learn more about employment opportunities at HCA.

For updates on the event you can follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the newsfeed on Executive Development.

The Executive Development team would like to extend our congratulations to Alan Keesee, who has been named to Chief Operating Officer at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee, Florida in the North Florida Division of HCA.

Alan started his career in HCA's Capital Division in 2008 serving as an Administrative Resident. Within two years he was accepted into the COO Development program where he served as Associate Chief Operating Officer at Henrico Doctors Hospital in Richmond, Virginia.

As Associate COO he led numerous successful projects, working directly with division, ancillary and clinical departments across all three campuses.

Most notable was his effort in transitioning vendors managing blood products to the tune of $1 million in savings, and securing another $18 million in favored pricing for HCA nationwide, all without missing a beat for patients in need of blood products.

Alan earned his Bachelors in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Masters of Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University where he also earned the Richard Bracken Award.

His new role with Capital Regional Medical begins this month, February.

Congratulations, Alan!

As of the end of last week, Phase 1 of the EDP application submission process has passed. We hope that everyone who was interested in participating in the 2013 COO and CNO tracks were able to put applications in on time.

For those who did, it's on to Phase 2!

This part of the process involves the completion of a comprehensive leadership assessment by two professional or academic references which you supplied on your application.

Phase 2 runs from January 30 through February 27.

For those selected during this phase to continue on to the next, you will be one step closer to a challenging and rewarding experience with HCA.

The HCA Executive Development program is not just another step in your career — for the duration of the program, it is your career, where you will develop and hone your skills as leaders through several educational seminars and through individual mentoring while gaining a breadth of experience in day-to-day operations.

We are eager to discover HCA's leaders of tomorrow. Good luck to everyone moving forward.

Stay updated with the EDP application process and other Executive Development news by subscribing to our news feed or by following us on twitter.

St. David's Medical Center has named R. David Shimp, FACHE, as its new COO, replacing Richard Hammett, who has accepted a position as CEO at the Medical Center of Aurora.

Prior to joining St. David's, David served in various roles at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City where he eventually became its COO. While in that role, his responsibilities included leading a variety of programs and service lines for the Solid Organ Transplant Program, cardiovascular and oncology service lines, the Sleep Disorders Center, and respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.

Before that he served at Rose Medical Center in Denver as associate administrator, systems analyst and administrative intern at Bon Secours Richmond Health System in Virginia, a research intern at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and a Michael E. DeBakey surgical intern at Baylor College of Medicine, also in Houston.

“Given the depth of his experience, we are confident that David will play a key role in the continued growth of St. David’s Medical Center,” Don Wilkerson, chief executive officer of St. David’s Medical Center, said. “As one of the top hospitals in the nation, St. David’s Medical Center strives to continually expand upon the level of care we provide to every patient, every day. We know that David will help us to achieve this goal.”

David is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a former member of the LifeShare Organ Procurement Organization Board of Directors, has served on the Executive Leadership Council of the American Heart Association and as a volunteer for the Children's Hospital Foundation, Medical Business District Board, United Way and Habitat for Humanity, among other organizations.

He earned his Master of Health Administration from VCU in Richmond and his Bachelor of Arts degree in leadership studies with a minor in biology from the University of Richmond.

David began his new role in January. Congratulations, David.

The AONE 46th Annual Meeting & Exposition will be held in Denver, Colorado from March 20 – 23 this year. The theme, Reaching New Heights: Transforming Nursing Leadership embodies the AONE vision to prepare nurse leaders to shape health care through innovative and expert leadership.

Join us as we co-sponsor the four-day event. The annual meeting provides opportunities for aspiring nurse leaders to be challenged and inspired by thought leaders, obtain continuing education credits on topics relevant to nursing leadership, network, be exposed to industry needs and potential solutions, gain inspiration and encouragement.

Registration is open and there will be pre-conference programs available starting March 20 that will address hot topics facing today's nurse leaders. CENT and CNML Essentials Review Courses will be held as individual full-day programs.

We hope to inspire creative thinking and provide innovative approaches to nurse leaders.

Find out more about the conference at the AONE site.

EDP Alumnus Jyric Sims has been promoted to COO of St. Lucie Medical Center starting February 25.

Currently Jyric is Associate COO II of Clear Lake Regional Medical Center. He joined HCA through the COO Development Program in 2011 as Associate Administrator I at Clear Lake where he managed several clinical and ancillary departments along with the duties of the facility's Ethics and Compliance responsibilities.

Jyric was actively involved with Clear Lake's $93 million CAMS expansion project, which included the new 154,000 square-foot patient tower and renovations to the Women and Children Center.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree at Louisiana State University, obtained his Masters of Health Administration from the University of Arkansas. Jyric is a member of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Certified Project Manager.

In 2008, Jyric was named one of Ebony's "2008 Young Leaders of the Future" for his pursuit of excellence in his career and for uplifting his community.

In addition to his work responsibility, Jyric and his wife are expecting their first child, a daughter, in April.

Congratulations, Jyric!

Below is a great video about Jyric and how he entered the healthcare industry.

Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth, serving as a tertiary center for numerous counties within 90 miles of Tarrant County, has announced two promotions within their executive leadership. Court LeMaistre, FACHE, has been named COO and Elaine Shields, MHA, has been named Vice President of Quality Management.

Court, bringing more than eight years in acute-care, inpatient hospital administration, will be responsible for the operations of the 323-bed facility. He will also serve as Staffing, Ethics and Compliance Officer.

“We are thrilled to have Court LeMaistre join the hospital to lead our operations,” said Clay Franklin, CEO of Plaza Medical Center. “Court’s leadership and interpersonal skills will be a strong asset for our team.”

He has extensive experience in strategic planning, organizational development, operational decision-making, productivity management, organizational compliance, service excellence and physician relations.

Court received a Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio.

Court started his role as COO at Plaza in early February.

Elaine Shields also started her new role in February. As a member of the senior leadership team she will oversee quality/resource management, infection control and risk management within the Quality/Resource Management department.

Elaine brings more than ten years of proven leadership to her new role to which she is no stranger. Most recently she served as the Interim Vice President of Quality, Risk, Infection Control and Patient Safety at Plaza.

“We are pleased to have Elaine Shields join Plaza as our Vice President of Quality,” said Clay. “Elaine’s strong team building, organizational and customer service skills, along with an excellent track record of implementing strategic business applications to deliver quantifiable outcomes will prove invaluable in Plaza’s continued mission of providing top quality care to all patients.”

Her new duties include organization-wide leadership for performance improvement and regulatory compliance while achieving and maintaining hospital accreditation and licensing.

Elaine received a Master of Science in Health Care Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Tech University.

Congratulations to these two leaders.

10 percent of hospitals selected as the nation's 100 highest-performing acute care facilities are in the HCA network, according to the Truven Health Analytics' annual survey, "100 Top Hospitals: Benchmarks for Success".

In its twentieth annual run, the list recognizes 100 high-scoring hospitals from a field of nearly 3,000 based on measures of overall organizational performance including patient care, operational efficiency and financial stability.

Winners are decided by analyzing public available claims data from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) dataset, the CMS' Hospital Compare database and Medicare cost reports.

Eligible facilities are divided into five categories comprised of major teaching hospitals, teaching hospitals, and large, medium and small community hospitals.

Within each of those five categories, hospitals are evaluated against their peers on 14 measures, such as 30-day mortality for heart failure, inpatient expense per discharge, complications and patient experience.

To make the 100 Top Hospitals list, hospitals must rank above their peers on a composite score of all 14 measures and score above the median for each measure.

The HCA winners this year have won previously, some with quite a run. Beside each name is the number of times the facility has won in previous years.

For 2013, the facility winners are:

• Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, Sarasota, Fla. (2)
• Gulf Coast Medical Center, Panama City, Fla. (4)
• Kendall Regional Medical Center, Miami, Fla. (8)
• Lakeview Hospital, Bountiful, Utah (3)
• Ocala Regional Medical Center, Ocala, Fla. (3)
• Ogden Regional Medical Center, Ogden, Utah (3)
• Rose Medical Center, Denver, Colo. (6)
• St. David’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas (4)
• St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, Austin, Texas (2)
• TriStar Skyline Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn. (2)

Commenting on the recognition, Jonathon Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, FACP, FACMI, President, Clinical and Physician Services, and Chief Medical Officer said, "HCA’s 100 Top Hospitals recipients make us proud, not only for the work they’ve accomplished during the survey period, but for sustaining superior performance. They are providing the highest quality care, in the safest and most efficient manner, maintaining top financial stability, while being rated well by their patients. This performance ultimately goes beyond being list-worthy, as each facility shares best practices for the benefit of all hospitals."

Also among the top 100, Truven compiled an annual list of Everest Award winners. The Everest Award recognizes a subset of hospitals that have also met a national target for rate of improvement over five consecutive years.

Among the HCA Everest winners were Doctors Hospital of Sarasota and Lakeview Hospital. There were 17 awards in all.

HCA is happy to announce that Darrel Box, RPh, MHA, has been named chief executive officer of Lafayette Regional Health Center as of January 28, 2013.

Darrel previously served as Lafayette's vice president of operations since 2003.

Among his many successes and accomplishments in creating efficiencies and throughput in the operational areas of Lafayette, Darrel has implemented changes that led to an increase in ER volumes by fifty percent, developed an ENT program to increase surgical volume, opened a sleep lab and a wound clinic and transitioned "night hawk" service that resulted in more than $60,000 in cost savings and improvement of turnaround time by fifty percent.

Darrel has been an integral part of the management team that guided Lafayette Regional to numerous accolades and achievements including Joint Commission Top Performer in 2011 and 2012 and first in patient satisfaction in the company in 2010, fourth in 2011 and consistently in the top quartile in 2012.

Darrel is highly involved in the community surrounding the hospital, and currently serves as chairman of the Community Health Foundation of Lafayette County, vice-chair of the Healthcare Collaborative of Rural Missouri, and an ad hoc member of Lexington Community Betterment. He has also served as the mayor pro-tem and an alderman for the City of Buckner.

Prior to serving as Lafayette Regional Health Center’s VP of operations, Darrel served chief of pharmacy operations for Pharmerica in Lenexa, Kansas.

His background as a pharmacy tech, staff pharmacist, pharmacy director and materials manager has provided him with an empathy with and understanding of the challenges facing frontline caregivers.

Congratulations, Darrel, on this well-deserved promotion.

Making a big move to the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura in California, former Chief Nursing Officer of Research Medical Center in Kansas, Cynthia J. Johnson, RN, MSN, has been promoted to the role of CNO at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center.

Prior to her role at Research, Cyndi was CNO at Menorah Medical Center also in Kansas.

"It gives me great pleasure to welcome Cyndi to Los Robles Hospital. She brings a wealth of experience to Los Robles in the areas of clinical nursing, nursing education, administrative management, and leadership," Greg Angle, President and CEO at Los Robles stated. "As the Chief Nursing Officer, she will have the opportunity to maximize her relationship-building talents and her proven leadership abilities in the effort to continuously enhance the quality of patient care."

"I am very excited about joining the Los Robles Team and becoming part of the Conejo Valley community," shared Johnson. "Los Robles already has an outstanding reputation. My focus will be on enhancing patient care through clinical excellence."

Cyndi's dedication to nursing is parallel by her commitment to her community. She sits on numerous non-profit and professional and non-professional boards.

Her efforts have been recognized by honors including a nomination for Most Influential Women in Kansas City, Women of Color Award and Women of Courage Award by the Delta Sorority, and the Women of the Year Award from Alpha Phi Alpha.

Cyndi received her Master of Science in Nursing from Research College of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri, and her Master of Arts in health service management from Webster University, again in Kansas City. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas.

Cyndi started her new role at Los Robles February 18, 2013.

Congratulations, Cyndi!

We have one final update to announce before the 2013 ACHE annual Congress this coming week March 11-14 at the Hilton Chicago/Palmer House Hilton.

HCA’s Executive Development Department’s networking reception on Sunday, March 10th, at the Potter’s Lounge in the Palmer House Hotel has been cancelled.

We will still host our Executive Recruitment Team Suite during the ACHE Congress at the Hilton Chicago March 11th-13th.

Visit us in Suite 1180:

Monday, March 11 – Tuesday, March 12: 7:00AM – 4:30PM CST
Wednesday, March 13: 7:00AM – 11:30AM CST

Dell Oliver and Carla Worthey from Executive Development along with Mark Dupay, Mary Perry and Michael Ginsberg from Executive Recruiting will be your hosts and are available throughout the event.

We invite you to come by and learn more about employment opportunities at HCA.

For updates on the event you can follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the newsfeed on Executive Development.

Phase 3 marks the midway point in our 2013 Executive Development application process. Phase 2 has wrapped up and all of your references have completed a Leadership Potential Assessment on you.

Phase 3 involves video conference interviews from our Executive Development team for candidates moving into Phase 4.

HCA is confident that we produce only the best of the best from our Executive Development program. With the COO program now in its twelfth year and the CNO program, a bit younger, in its seventh, our goal for both tracks remains aligned to our overall strategy at HCA to attract high performance, high commitment talent that combines individual contribution with the successful reputation of HCA patient first philosophy.

Our goal is the continuity of leadership today into tomorrow.

Phase 3 began on the 28^th of February and runs through March 30. The field is narrowing as HCA's new leaders emerge.

We are very excited.

In a move to provide patients an interactive 3D experience with human anatomy, HealthONE has partnered with Visual Health Solutions and Healthline Networks, to host their BodyMaps application on the HealthONE website.

BodyMaps is a collaborative project of both San Francisco-based Healthline Networks, the largest provider of consumer health information with a suite of intelligent health search, content and advertising services and Visual Health Solutions, a Colorado-based multimedia communication company who develops 3D digital models of anatomical structures of the human body.

The interactive 3D search tool lets a user explore the human body and select individual organs and its internal parts to learn more about their functions.

It allows a 360 degree view of organs and bones within the body and translates thousands of anatomical and clinical terms into simple, patient-friendly language.

"We are thrilled to partner with the HealthONE system, an innovator in health education and patient engagement, to bring BodyMaps to the Healthcare Provider market where Healthline's products and expertise can help patients the most - at the point of care," said Dean Stephens , CEO of Healthline.

"As a Colorado company, we are very proud to partner with Colorado's leading healthcare system to provide an engaging visual health resource to HealthONE's physicians, staff, patients and their families," said Paul Baker, CEO of Visual Health Solutions.

"We are excited to offer a resource like BodyMaps to not only our patients, physicians and staff, but to people around the world since it is a free resource on our website," says Dr. George Bussey , Chief Medical Officer, HCA-HealthONE. "BodyMaps allows physicians to visually walk patients through the diagnosis and treatment cycle."

Just some of the features of the app include

• 1,000 anatomical structures in 3D
• 360 degree views of parts of the body
• Easy navigation of all layers of anatomy
• A search function capable of analyzing simple terms like eardrum to explore the tympanic membrane
• Easy to understand descriptions

Physicians at HealthONE agree that BodyMaps is an accurate and invaluable visualization tool in understanding the human body, not unlike the cadaver exhibit "Body Worlds".

The app is also available for download on the HealthONE site.

HCA has done it again. For the fourth year in a row, we were declared "One of The World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute.

Ethisphere is a New York-based think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility and anti-corruption.

The designation recognizes companies that go beyond making statements about doing business ethically and translate those words into action.

Ethisphere recognizes only those who promote ethical standards and practices internally and who exceed legal compliance minimums and shape future standards in their industry by introducing best practices.

"Behaving as an ethical business and bettering the human condition is both our culture and our daily goal," said Michael Neeb, President and Chief Executive Officer of HCA International, the group’s UK business.

“Winning this award four years in a row, reflects the dedication and hard work of our doctors, nurses, specialist technicians, in fact every individual in our business and I thank everyone here at HCA International for playing a part in achieving these high standards and winning this honor once again,” he added.

As you know, HCA is the largest healthcare provider in the country, but you not realize that we are also the largest non-governmental healthcare provider in the world, with six leading hospitals in London and twenty diagnostic and treatment centers in and around London and Manchester.

Hear what our Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Alan Yuseph, had to say.

HCA hits number one in the "Health Care: Medical Facilities" category in Fortune Magazine's March 18 edition of the "World's Most Admired Companies". This is our third consecutive year making the list at the number one spot for our category.

The rankings are derived from Fortune magazine's survey partner, Hay Group, who chooses 1400 of the largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue, non-U.S. companies with revenue of $10 billion or more and the top foreign companies operating in the U.S.

Those companies are then separated into their respective industries and executives, directors and analysts are asked to rank companies in their own industry based on nine criteria:

• Innovation
• People management
• Use of corporate assets
• Social responsibility
• Quality of management
• Financial soundness
• Long-term investment
• Quality of products/services
• Global competitiveness

Since healthcare's inclusion in the rankings in 2000, excluding 2005 when the industry was not ranked, HCA has made the top ten every time.

Click here for more details on the methodology used to create the list and here to view the complete 2013 rankings.

HCA and Colleton Medical Center have announced the appointment of Brad Griffin as new Chief Executive Officer, to replace outgoing CEO, Mitch Mongell.

Mitch became the CEO of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center in December.

Brad was formally the Chief Operating Officer of Ocala Health System in Florida where he has served since 2008. The Ocala System includes the 200-bed Ocala Regional Medical Center and the 70-bed West Marion Community Hospital.

While there Brad spearheaded multiple construction and renovation projects and helped the hospital in achieving Provisional Level 2 Trauma Status.

Prior to his role at Ocala, he served two years as COO for Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Georgia and three years as Associate Administrator before that at Coliseum Health System in Macon.

"I am honored to become part of the Colleton Medical Center family," Brad said of his appointment. "There are many opportunities for growth in this dynamic community. I look forward to getting to know the wonderful residents of Colleton County and the Low country."

Throughout his healthcare career, Brad has shown a strong commitment to community involvement; he has served as the Finance Chairman for the Heart of Florida Health Clinic and has served as a board member for the Heart of Georgia United Way, the Macon Volunteer Clinic and the College of Central Florida Foundation.

Brad received his Master of Business Administration and Health Administration from Georgia State University and attended Mercer University where he received his Bachelor of Finance and Computer Information Systems.

He will join the hospital as CEO of Colleton on May 1.

Congratulations Brad.

Kristina Wallace has been named the new chief operating officer for OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She replaces David Shimp, who is now COO for St. David's Medical Center in Austin, Texas.

Kris started her healthcare career as a registered nurse at OU's The Children's Hospital in 1995. Over her time in the OU Medical System she was involved with extensive management and planning, eventually becoming director of Pediatric Medical Surgical at Children's and later the CNO of OU Medical System, her current role.

"Kris will bring her strong leadership skills and proven track record of success to her new position," said OU Medical System President and CEO Charles L. Spicer Jr. "Kris also had an outstanding record of service during her time as chief nursing officer."

Under her leadership, patient satisfaction at OU Medical Center Edmond skyrocketed to over 90% from average while changes she brought to OU Medical Center helped bring in-patient satisfaction up 45 percentile points between 2008 and 2011.

Kris also helped open the Patient Logistics Center at OU Medical Center, which increased referrals and eased the process for transfer patients.

Kris received her master's in business administration from the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business.

She is a member of the American Nurses Association and the American Organization of Nurse Executives. 

Congratulations on your promotion, Kris.

Bayshore Medical Center and HCA Gulf Coast Division president, Maura Walsh, has announced that Kelli Nations has been named CNO.

Kelli joins Bayshore after serving as Mainland Medical Center's Chief Nursing Officer for the past three and a half years, and where she also served as Associate Chief Nursing Officer prior to that.

Kelli's other HCA leadership roles include Cardiovascular Service Line Director at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center and RN in the Cardiovascular Recovery Area and the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to serve as a healthcare leader in the Pasadena community," Kelli said. "There is a lot of exciting work ahead as BMC continues to provide quality care and I couldn’t ask for a better team of leaders, physicians, staff and volunteers to provide the kind of patient centered care our communities deserve."

"Kelli’s extensive clinical and leadership experience are invaluable in her role as Chief Nursing Officer," said Jeanna Barnard, CEO of Bayshore Medical Center.

"Kelli’s abilities complement our talented executive team and we look forward to her contributions in clinical oversight, growth and development."

Kelli earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Healthcare Administration from Texas Woman's University.

Currently, she serves as a board member for the Gulf Coast Recovery Center and as the walk business chair for the National Association for Mental Illness.

She started her new role as Bayshore's CNO last month.

Congratulations Kelli.