California Health Care Personnel News Update for December 2009

California Department of Finance

On Dec. 14, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) announced that he will appoint Ana Matosantos (D) as director of the state Department of Finance. Matosantos will take over from Michael Genest, who is resigning from the post.

Matosantos has served as chief deputy director of the finance department since 2008. She also has served as deputy legislative secretary for health and human services and veterans affairs in the Office of the Governor.

Matosantos' new post requires Senate confirmation.  Compensation is $175,000 (Office of the Governor release, 12/14/09).

California Department of Public Health

On Dec. 22, Schwarzenegger appointed Kevin Reilly chief deputy director of policy and program for the state Department of Public Health. Reilly previously served as administrative manager and chief of disease control and epidemiology for the Orange County Health Care Agency.

His new post requires Senate confirmation, and compensation is $156,000.

California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board

The governor also reappointed Ronnie Caplane (D) to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, on which she has served since 2003.

Caplane's post requires Senate confirmation and compensation is $128,109 (Office of the Governor release, 12/22/09).

Epocrates

The San Mateo-based Epocrates has named Geoffrey Rutledge chief medical officer and executive vice president of product development, the San Francisco Business Times reports. The clinical decision support software firm also named MaryAnn Capritti chief marketing officer.

Rutledge previously served as chief information officer for Wellsphere and also has held posts at San Mateo Medical Center and WebMD.

Capritti previously served as CEO for a division of Euro RSCG Life, where she provided marketing support for numerous pharmaceutical clients (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 12/4).

Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose

San Jose's Good Samaritan Hospital has named Paul Beaupre CEO, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports. Beaupre will take over the position from Bill Piche, who is retiring.

Beaupre currently serves as Good Samaritan's chief medical officer and COO (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 12/4/09).

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission

On Dec. 23, acting Comptroller General of the U.S. Gene Dodaro announced the appointment of Richard Chambers, CEO of CalOptima, to the new Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. CalOptima is Orange County's Medi-Cal managed care plan.

Chambers' term on MACPAC will expire in December 2011.  His appointment was one of 17 Dodaro announced last month (Government Accountability Office release, 12/23/09).

Mercy Medical Center, Redding

On Dec. 7, Mercy Medical Center tapped Mark Korth to serve as the hospital's next CEO, the Redding Record Searchlight reports.

Korth currently serves as CEO of Lakewood Regional Medical Center. He also has served in posts at Los Alamitos Medical Center and Sutter Health in Sacramento (Sabalow, Redding Record Searchlight, 12/7/09).

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose

On Dec. 18, Michael Skehan announced that he will step down as executive director of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center at the end of January, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

SCVMC's Chief Nursing Officer Trudy Johnson will take over as acting executive director until the hospital appoints a replacement for Skehan (Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News, 12/18/09).

Stanford Medical School

Stanford Medical School has tapped Laurel Price Jones to head the school's Office of Medical Development, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Jones will start her new position in January. Previously, Jones worked at George Washington University and the Cleveland Clinic (Brown, San Francisco Business Times, 12/14/09).