This roundup will be published monthly. It is meant to highlight some of healthcare’s recent hiring news and is not intended to be comprehensive. If you have news about an executive appointment, resignation or layoff that you would like to share for this roundup or the MedCity Moves podcast, please reach out to [email protected].
Here is a selection of recent executive hires, promotions and layoffs occurring across the healthcare industry.
The Impact Brands: Empowering Wellness Through Natural and Holistic Solutions
In an era of escalating healthcare costs and a growing preference for natural, holistic approaches to health, The Impact Brands emerges as a collective of diverse brands dedicated to supporting overall wellness through natural means.
Hires
Beth Israel Lahey Health named Yael Heher as its first chief quality officer. She most recently served as vice chair of pathology, quality and safety at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Centene welcomed Susan Smith as its new COO. Before Centene, Smith spent nearly 20 years at Humana, serving most recently as its president of clinical, quality and enterprise solutions.
Virtual mental health provider Charlie Health appointed two new senior leaders — Udi Milo as chief product officer and Don Johnson as head of digital innovation. In the past, Milo has held product leadership positions at Tinder, Lyft, Pinterest and LinkedIn. As for Johnson, he spent 23 years at UnitedHealth Group.
At ViVE 2024, Panelists Share Prior Authorization Progress and Frustration in Payer Insights Program
At the Payer Insights sessions on Day 1 of ViVE 2024, a panel on prior authorization offered compelling insights from speakers who shared the positive developments in this area after years of mounting frustration. Speakers also shared challenges as they work with providers to figure out how policy developments and technology will work in practice.
Redox, a company that connects EHRs to healthcare products and services, welcomed Trip Hofer as its new CEO. In the past, Hofer has held executive positions at Optum and CVS Health, as well as served as CEO of AbleTo, which provides behavioral telehealth services. In November, he was also appointed to the title of partner at .406 Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm focused on healthcare tech.
Digital health company Sharecare announced that Brent Layton will become its new CEO in January. Before Sharecare, Layton had a lengthy career at Centene, serving recently as its COO.
AHIP chose Pat Geraghty to chair its board of directors in 2024. He is the president and CEO of Florida Blue and its parent company GuideWell. Geraghty will succeed the current chair, Highmark Health CEO David Holmberg, as his two-year term will come to a close at the end of this year.
Promotions
Houston Methodist tapped Shawn Tittle as its first-ever system chief quality officer. He currently serves as chief medical officer and chief quality officer at one of Houston Methodist’s hospitals. Tittle will step into the new role in January.
Mount Sinai Health System announced that Brendan Carr, its chair of emergency medicine, will become the health system’s new CEO in early 2024. He will replace Kenneth Davis, who’s held the CEO role since 2003.
Northwestern Medicine welcomed Jeff Good to its newly created role of chief sustainability executive. He recently served as president of one of the health system’s hospitals.
Ochsner Health appointed Yvens Laborde as its first-ever chief community medical officer. In this role, he will lead the system’s strategy to promote healthier and more equitable outcomes across the local community. Labord previously served as Ocshner’s medical director of global health education and public health.
Layoffs
Medical device maker Acutus Medical announced that it will lay off 65% of its workforce as part of a major restructuring, which means about 150 workers will lose their jobs. Moving forward, the company said its main focus will be manufacturing left-heart access products for Medtronic.
EHR vendor NextGen Healthcare said it is laying off 65 employees in Pennsylvania, 84 employees in St. Louis and 99 employees in Maryland due to the company recently being purchased by a private equity firm.
Thermo Fisher Scientific announced plans to close its plant in Auburn, Alabama. The biotech company said it will lay off nearly 100 workers.
Walgreens said that it will lay off about 5% of its corporate workforce, which is 267 employees. This round of layoffs came after the company laid off about 10% of its corporate workforce in May.
