Here is a list of 15 ASC industry executives who moved to new positions in the past year or assume positions in the New Year.
1. William Prentice, Executive Director, ASC Association
The ASC Association selected Mr. Prentice as its new executive director in September, replacing Kathy Bryant, who served as executive director since the association was created from the 2008 merger of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association and the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery centers. Mr. Prentice, who holds a law degree, has more than 25 years of experience in association management, government affairs and public relations. He vowed to make the ASC industry "very visible" in Washington, adding: "I'd like to broaden our advocacy and work for new and creative ways to advocate for regulatory change."
2. Charles Peck, MD, President and CEO, Health Inventures
Dr. Peck will start work as president and CEO of Health Inventures, a developer and operator of ASCs and surgical hospitals, on Jan. 3, 2011. Dr. Peck has over 30 years of diverse healthcare experience, including training as an internist and rheumatologist. Prior to joining Health Inventures, he served as CMO and managing director of healthcare consulting firm FTI Healthcare. Dr. Peck will assume the role currently held by CEO Richard Hanley, who announced his plans to retire at the end of 2010 earlier this year.
3. Michael Lipomi, President and CEO, Surgical Management Professionals
Mr. Lipomi joined Surgical Management Professionals as president and CEO in October, after a 32-year career in healthcare and facility management that included the top leadership position at RMC MedStone Capital. Mr. Lipomi has served on the board of directors of the ASC Association, California Ambulatory Surgery Association and was the co-founder of Physician Hospitals of America, where he served as president for two years. He said he believes the company has the human and financial resources needed to expand into "one of the nation's leading facility and management organizations."
4. Gregory Cunniff, CFO, Surgical Care Affiliates
Surgical Care Affiliates named Mr. Cunniff executive vice president and CFO in mid-October. Mr. Cunniff has 20 years of healthcare experience, most of which has been in the ASC and surgical hospital industry. He most recently worked as CFO of National Surgical Care and also spent time with Medical Care America, a surgery center management and development company that oversaw ASCs that are now part of SCA. Andrew Hayek, president and CEO of SCA, called Mr. Cunniff's appointment "an important step forward in SCA becoming the partner of choice for surgical care."
5. Kenny Spitler, CDO, Interventional Management Services
Mr. Spitler joined ASC management and development company Interventional Management Services as its chief development officer in December. He joined the company after serving as senior vice president – development for HealthMark Partners for the past four years. In his role as CDO for IMS, he will oversee all development activities for the company, including syndications and acquisitions. Regarding Mr. Spitler's appointment, IMS CEO Stephen Rosenbaum said, "While IMS has enjoyed some solid growth over the last two years, we've evolved to the level which would require a chief development officer of Kenny's caliber. Interventional Management Services is moving to a larger overall scale. Kenny has a good history of success in the ASC industry and we're fortunate to have him as part of our team."
6. John Ansorge, CFO, Somnia Anesthesia
Somnia Anesthesia Services announced Mr. Ansorge as the company's new CFO in mid-October. In his new position, Mr. Ansorge oversees Somnia's financial operations, with responsibility for accounting, financial planning and reporting, budgets and forecasting. He most recently served as interim CFO for Stamford (Conn.) Health System, a 305-bed teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University Medical School. He has also worked as CFO for Lincoln Park Hospital in Chicago. Somnia President and CEO March E. Koch, MD, MBA, said, "[Mr. Ansorge] brings tremendous business acumen to the organization and we're confident he will put in place the financial structure needed to support our continued growth in the hospital market."
7. Bo Hjorth, Vice President of Business Development, Regent Surgical Health
Regent Surgical Health named Bo Hjorth as vice president of business development in early September. Mr. Hjorth has spent more than 20 years working in healthcare, with the last 12 years spent in the ASC industry. He previously served as vice president of development for Community Care and then moved to vice president of operations. In this role, he was responsible for the leadership, strategy and performance of three surgery centers in Indiana and Maryland.
8. Donna Greene, Vice President of Acquisitions and Development, ASCOA
Ms. Greene joined Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America as vice president of acquisitions and development in September. She has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry and will serve primarily in surgery center acquisitions and de novo development. Donna Greene is joined in the new role by fellow new hire Jimbo Cross, who has extensive experience managing large, physician-owned companies and has a background in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Brent Lambert, MD, ASCOA founding principal, said, "The expertise and experience [Ms. Greene and Mr. Cross] bring to our team will allow us to more effectively meet the industry-wide demand for turnaround assistance to ASCs which are underperforming."
9. John Burke, Executive Vice President and CEO, AAAHC
Mr. Burke, PhD, was promoted from executive director and CEO of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care to executive vice president and CEO in July. He joined several other AAAHC staff members in promotions to different positions within the organization.
10. Hugh Morgan, Quality Assurance Officer, Somnia Anesthesia
Somnia Anesthesia Services appointed Hugh Morgan in April to the newly created position of quality assurance officer. In this position, he directs Somnia's Clinical Quality Excellence Program and assumes oversight of clinical quality for the anesthesia practices the company manages for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers across the county. Mr. Morgan has over 15 years of experience in hospital and physician practice management as well as consulting for academic, community, military and tertiary care facilities and served as a consultant for Somnia for a year before joining the company full-time in 2010.
11. Ann O'Neill, Clinical Director of Operations, Regent Surgical Health
Regent Surgical Health named Ms. O'Neill, RNC, MBA/HCM, as its new director of clinical operations in August. Ms. O'Neill has 34 years of clinical experience, including management roles at Sharp Healthcare, Adventist Health and CliniComp International. She received an associated degree in nursing from Riverside City College and holds a bachelor of science in business administration and a masters of business administration and healthcare management from the University of Phoenix.
12. John Phelps III, Director of Physician Marketing, Regent Surgical Health
Regent Surgical Health named Mr. Phelps director of physician marketing in early November, making him responsible for physician recruitment for Regent's ASCs and physician-owned hospitals. Mr. Phelps has over 10 years of healthcare sales experience, which includes new business development, consultant selling and sales management. Prior to joining Regent, Mr. Phelps held several sales positions with pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations, including Davita Johnson & Johnson, Solvay Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline.
13. Tom Vorpahl, COO, TriMedx
TriMedx, a clinical engineering and technology asset management consulting firm, announced the appointment of Mr. Vorpahl as COO in October. Mr. Vorpahl joins the company with 30 years of experience in medical equipment manufacturing, sales and operations. He has held leadership roles with GE, Siemens and Philips. Greg Ranger, president and CEO of TriMedx, said, "Tom has extensive experience in serving — not selling. He has a passion for showing clients the true value of partnership that transcends the transaction. In addition, his entrepreneurial spirit and broad understanding of the changing marketplace will be an asset. We are confident that Tom's insight will be extremely valuable in helping us meet our long-term growth objectives."
14. Harlan Pollock, MD, Board President, AAAASF
The American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities announced its new board president will be Harlan Pollock, MD, a plastic surgeon practicing for more than 40 years. He assumed the role after serving as vice president of the board of directors and performing many roles and chairing many committees, including the strategic planning committee and standards committee. Dr. Pollock works out of North Dallas Plastic Surgery and has affiliations with several hospitals.
15. Robert T. Van Hook, Interim CEO, APIC
Mr. Van Hook started work as interim CEO of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology on Oct. 18, filling the leadership role while the associated conducts its search for a successor to CEO Kathy Warye. Mr. Van Hook has been an association executive for more than 25 years and previously served as president of Transition Management Consulting, which specializes in providing interim executive management and transition consulting. The search for Ms. Warye's successor is expected to take six months.
1. William Prentice, Executive Director, ASC Association
The ASC Association selected Mr. Prentice as its new executive director in September, replacing Kathy Bryant, who served as executive director since the association was created from the 2008 merger of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association and the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery centers. Mr. Prentice, who holds a law degree, has more than 25 years of experience in association management, government affairs and public relations. He vowed to make the ASC industry "very visible" in Washington, adding: "I'd like to broaden our advocacy and work for new and creative ways to advocate for regulatory change."
2. Charles Peck, MD, President and CEO, Health Inventures
Dr. Peck will start work as president and CEO of Health Inventures, a developer and operator of ASCs and surgical hospitals, on Jan. 3, 2011. Dr. Peck has over 30 years of diverse healthcare experience, including training as an internist and rheumatologist. Prior to joining Health Inventures, he served as CMO and managing director of healthcare consulting firm FTI Healthcare. Dr. Peck will assume the role currently held by CEO Richard Hanley, who announced his plans to retire at the end of 2010 earlier this year.
3. Michael Lipomi, President and CEO, Surgical Management Professionals
Mr. Lipomi joined Surgical Management Professionals as president and CEO in October, after a 32-year career in healthcare and facility management that included the top leadership position at RMC MedStone Capital. Mr. Lipomi has served on the board of directors of the ASC Association, California Ambulatory Surgery Association and was the co-founder of Physician Hospitals of America, where he served as president for two years. He said he believes the company has the human and financial resources needed to expand into "one of the nation's leading facility and management organizations."
4. Gregory Cunniff, CFO, Surgical Care Affiliates
Surgical Care Affiliates named Mr. Cunniff executive vice president and CFO in mid-October. Mr. Cunniff has 20 years of healthcare experience, most of which has been in the ASC and surgical hospital industry. He most recently worked as CFO of National Surgical Care and also spent time with Medical Care America, a surgery center management and development company that oversaw ASCs that are now part of SCA. Andrew Hayek, president and CEO of SCA, called Mr. Cunniff's appointment "an important step forward in SCA becoming the partner of choice for surgical care."
5. Kenny Spitler, CDO, Interventional Management Services
Mr. Spitler joined ASC management and development company Interventional Management Services as its chief development officer in December. He joined the company after serving as senior vice president – development for HealthMark Partners for the past four years. In his role as CDO for IMS, he will oversee all development activities for the company, including syndications and acquisitions. Regarding Mr. Spitler's appointment, IMS CEO Stephen Rosenbaum said, "While IMS has enjoyed some solid growth over the last two years, we've evolved to the level which would require a chief development officer of Kenny's caliber. Interventional Management Services is moving to a larger overall scale. Kenny has a good history of success in the ASC industry and we're fortunate to have him as part of our team."
6. John Ansorge, CFO, Somnia Anesthesia
Somnia Anesthesia Services announced Mr. Ansorge as the company's new CFO in mid-October. In his new position, Mr. Ansorge oversees Somnia's financial operations, with responsibility for accounting, financial planning and reporting, budgets and forecasting. He most recently served as interim CFO for Stamford (Conn.) Health System, a 305-bed teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University Medical School. He has also worked as CFO for Lincoln Park Hospital in Chicago. Somnia President and CEO March E. Koch, MD, MBA, said, "[Mr. Ansorge] brings tremendous business acumen to the organization and we're confident he will put in place the financial structure needed to support our continued growth in the hospital market."
7. Bo Hjorth, Vice President of Business Development, Regent Surgical Health
Regent Surgical Health named Bo Hjorth as vice president of business development in early September. Mr. Hjorth has spent more than 20 years working in healthcare, with the last 12 years spent in the ASC industry. He previously served as vice president of development for Community Care and then moved to vice president of operations. In this role, he was responsible for the leadership, strategy and performance of three surgery centers in Indiana and Maryland.
8. Donna Greene, Vice President of Acquisitions and Development, ASCOA
Ms. Greene joined Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America as vice president of acquisitions and development in September. She has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry and will serve primarily in surgery center acquisitions and de novo development. Donna Greene is joined in the new role by fellow new hire Jimbo Cross, who has extensive experience managing large, physician-owned companies and has a background in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Brent Lambert, MD, ASCOA founding principal, said, "The expertise and experience [Ms. Greene and Mr. Cross] bring to our team will allow us to more effectively meet the industry-wide demand for turnaround assistance to ASCs which are underperforming."
9. John Burke, Executive Vice President and CEO, AAAHC
Mr. Burke, PhD, was promoted from executive director and CEO of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care to executive vice president and CEO in July. He joined several other AAAHC staff members in promotions to different positions within the organization.
10. Hugh Morgan, Quality Assurance Officer, Somnia Anesthesia
Somnia Anesthesia Services appointed Hugh Morgan in April to the newly created position of quality assurance officer. In this position, he directs Somnia's Clinical Quality Excellence Program and assumes oversight of clinical quality for the anesthesia practices the company manages for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers across the county. Mr. Morgan has over 15 years of experience in hospital and physician practice management as well as consulting for academic, community, military and tertiary care facilities and served as a consultant for Somnia for a year before joining the company full-time in 2010.
11. Ann O'Neill, Clinical Director of Operations, Regent Surgical Health
Regent Surgical Health named Ms. O'Neill, RNC, MBA/HCM, as its new director of clinical operations in August. Ms. O'Neill has 34 years of clinical experience, including management roles at Sharp Healthcare, Adventist Health and CliniComp International. She received an associated degree in nursing from Riverside City College and holds a bachelor of science in business administration and a masters of business administration and healthcare management from the University of Phoenix.
12. John Phelps III, Director of Physician Marketing, Regent Surgical Health
Regent Surgical Health named Mr. Phelps director of physician marketing in early November, making him responsible for physician recruitment for Regent's ASCs and physician-owned hospitals. Mr. Phelps has over 10 years of healthcare sales experience, which includes new business development, consultant selling and sales management. Prior to joining Regent, Mr. Phelps held several sales positions with pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations, including Davita Johnson & Johnson, Solvay Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline.
13. Tom Vorpahl, COO, TriMedx
TriMedx, a clinical engineering and technology asset management consulting firm, announced the appointment of Mr. Vorpahl as COO in October. Mr. Vorpahl joins the company with 30 years of experience in medical equipment manufacturing, sales and operations. He has held leadership roles with GE, Siemens and Philips. Greg Ranger, president and CEO of TriMedx, said, "Tom has extensive experience in serving — not selling. He has a passion for showing clients the true value of partnership that transcends the transaction. In addition, his entrepreneurial spirit and broad understanding of the changing marketplace will be an asset. We are confident that Tom's insight will be extremely valuable in helping us meet our long-term growth objectives."
14. Harlan Pollock, MD, Board President, AAAASF
The American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities announced its new board president will be Harlan Pollock, MD, a plastic surgeon practicing for more than 40 years. He assumed the role after serving as vice president of the board of directors and performing many roles and chairing many committees, including the strategic planning committee and standards committee. Dr. Pollock works out of North Dallas Plastic Surgery and has affiliations with several hospitals.
15. Robert T. Van Hook, Interim CEO, APIC
Mr. Van Hook started work as interim CEO of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology on Oct. 18, filling the leadership role while the associated conducts its search for a successor to CEO Kathy Warye. Mr. Van Hook has been an association executive for more than 25 years and previously served as president of Transition Management Consulting, which specializes in providing interim executive management and transition consulting. The search for Ms. Warye's successor is expected to take six months.