HEALTH LEADERSHIP CHANGES
TriHealth isn’t the only area hospital system transitioning top-level leadership. “I think each system is making changes based on what their needs are,” said John Prout, who retires at the end of the year as chief executive officer of TriHealth.
- Roy Chew has replaced Terri Day as president of Kettering Health Network, which operates eight hospitals including Fort Hamilton, the system announced in November. Fred Manchur remains chief executive officer of Kettering Health;
- Cincinnati-area health system UC Health announced in November the next step in its changing management, eliminating the position of CEO at its hospitals and creating two new jobs: senior vice president of inpatient services; and chief administrative officers to oversee day-to-day activities of UC Medical Center, West Chester Hospital and Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care. Dr. Kevin Joseph, previously chief executive officer of West Chester Hospital, was named the new system-wide vice president of inpatient services; and
- John Starcher rejoined Mercy Health in January 2015 and serves as president in the Cincinnati market.
The upcoming retirement of longtime TriHealth Chief Executive Officer John Prout means one of the area’s largest hospital systems will soon be in the hands of at least two new leaders to the network.
Prout will retire at the end of the month after spending some 17 years at TriHealth, according to the nonprofit system.
Named to replace him is Mark Clement, who joined TriHealth earlier this year as president. Clement will assume the additional role of CEO in January, while Prout will stay on as an advisor.
A new executive vice president and chief operating officer has also joined TriHealth; Gail Donovan relocated to Cincinnati and started the new job last week.
TriHealth has expanded in Butler County in recent years following the 2012 acquisition of the former Butler County Medical Center on Hamilton Mason Road in Hamilton. At that site it now operates Bethesda Butler Hospital, and also this year completed an affiliation agreement with McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital in Oxford.
Prout’s plan to retire was announced Monday, but Prout, 66, said his health issues — including an October open heart surgery — is not what prompted the decision.
“We’ve been planning this for some time with my board,” Prout said. “Part of my job as any leader’s job is to build a team, whether you’re in the military or leading a corporation or leading health systems.”
“I think we’ve built a great team,” he said.
During Prout’s tenure, TriHealth has grown to about 12,000 employees, 130 ambulatory locations, 550 employed physicians and an independent medical staff of over 1,800, according to the health system.
Most recently, new plans were announced last month to reach an affiliation agreement with Dearborn County Hospital, expanding TriHealth to Indiana. Also, TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital in partnership with Select Medical is due to open next year.
“I think the landscape in Cincinnati has changed a lot in many ways. I think that Cincinnati is lucky to have a lot of good health systems and probably the biggest change in 17 years is the collaboration and coordination between physicians and hospitals,” Prout said.
“I think the future is focused on moving to value-based care, to expand our services to new geographies we’re talking about, but also some of our communities in the inner city,” Prout said.
Looking ahead, Prout’s successor Mark Clement said patients and employees should not notice any major changes in leadership style or philosophy. One key focus area he mentioned was working to fully integrate newly acquired clinical sites so no matter where patients access TriHealth, they can expect the same level of service and quality.
“My role and my work ahead is to really build on what John has accomplished … and really take this to the next level,” Clement said.
“It’s continuing to develop relationships, to expand our network… It’s continuing to move into the brave new world of value-based payment systems and population health… where we’re taking on the responsibility for managing and collaborating with… a patient population,” Clement said.
“The system TriHealth has grown rapidly,” he said.
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