California Health Care Personnel News Update for January 2011
Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health
Sonoma County Supervisor Valerie Brown has been named as one of 13 appointees to President Obama's Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health, Modern Healthcare reports (Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, 1/27).
Other appointees to the advisory panel include Jonathan Fielding -- who has served as director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health -- and Linda Rosenstock, dean of UCLA's School of Public Health (Devall, "KPCC News," KPCC, 1/31).
The new advisory group reports to Surgeon General Regina Benjamin in her position as chair of the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council (Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, 1/27).
Association of California Insurance Companies, Sacramento
Mark Sektnan has been named president of the Association of California Insurance Companies, effective March 1, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Sektnan currently serves as vice president of ACIC. He will replace Sam Sorich, who is retiring as president of the association. ACIC represents organizations that provide property and casualty insurance, including workers' compensation insurance (Johnson, Sacramento Business Journal, 1/24).
California Department of Insurance
On Dec. 29, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones (D) named new appointments to the executive team of the Department of Insurance and retained several staff members from the previous administration, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
For his new executive team appointments, Jones named:
- Nettie Hoge as chief deputy commissioner;
- Geoff Margolis as special counsel and deputy commissioner;
- Michael Martinez as deputy commissioner and legislative director;
- Janice Rocco as deputy commissioner for health policy;
- Chris Shultz as deputy commissioner for community programs; and
- Patricia Tenoso Sturdevant as deputy commissioner for policy.
Jones also retained:
- Robin Baker as deputy commissioner for administration and licensing services;
- Tony Cignarale as deputy commissioner for consumer services and market conduct;
- Adam Cole as deputy commissioner and general counsel;
- Sherwood Girion as deputy commissioner for financial surveillance;
- Ioannis Kazanis as press secretary for communications and press relations;
- Joel Laucher as deputy commissioner for rate regulation;
- Rick Plein as deputy commissioner for enforcement;
- Patricia Staggs as deputy general counsel; and
- Byron Tucker as deputy commissioner for communications and press relations (San Francisco Business Times, 12/30/10).
California Health and Human Services Agency
On Jan. 7, California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Diana Dooley named David Maxwell-Jolly as undersecretary of CHHS. Maxwell-Jolly has served as director of the Department of Health Care Services since 2009 and previously served as director for the Department of Child Support Services from 2007 through 2009.
Also on Jan. 7, Dooley named Toby Douglas as director of DHCS. Douglas has served as chief deputy director of DHCS since 2009 and has held leadership positions in the department since 2005.
In addition, Dooley announced that Terri Delgadillo will continue to serve in her role as director of the Department of Developmental Services (CHHS release, 1/7).
On January 13, Dooley announced that Linette Scott will serve as CHHS' interim deputy secretary for health information technology following the departure of Jonah Frohlich, CHHS' former deputy secretary for health IT. While serving in the interim role, Scott will continue to hold her current position as deputy director for health information and strategic planning at the California Department of Public Health (CHHS release, 1/13).
California Health Care Coalition, Los Angeles
On Jan. 5, the California Health Care Coalition announced it has hired Lee Burdick as executive director, effective immediately.
Burdick previously worked for more than 25 years as an attorney for several different industries, including aviation, energy and telecommunications. In his new role, Burdick will replace interim executive director Ken Stuart, who will continue to serve as chair of CHCC's board of directors (CHCC release, 1/5).
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, San FranciscoÂ
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has appointed Ellen Feigal as its first vice president for research and development, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Feigal currently serves as the executive medical director for global development at biotechnology firm Amgen. CIRM created the new position to develop and oversee preclinical and clinical programs. Annual compensation for Feigal's new position is $322,000 (San Francisco Business Times, 1/24).
Department of Managed Health Care
Cindy Ehnes, director of the Department of Managed Health Care, will not seek reappointment, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Ehnes was appointed to lead DMHC in 2004 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). She is expected to step down from her position in March, according to DMHC spokesperson Lynne Randolph. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) will appoint a replacement for Ehnes (Calvan, Sacramento Bee, 1/14).
Department of Mental Health
CHHS Secretary Dooley has named Cliff Allenby as director of the state Department of Mental Health, the Los Angeles Times' "L.A. Now" reports.
Allenby previously served as deputy director of the Department of Finance, where he worked for 23 years. Allenby also worked with the state's Health and Welfare Agency, the Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Social Services. Allenby replaces Stephen Mayberg, who retired from his post as director of the Department of Mental Health after 18 years of service (Romney, "L.A. Now," Los Angeles Times, 1/4).
Meanwhile, Nirbhay Singh, a Virginia psychologist, has announced his resignation as a consultant to California's Department of Mental Health after serving in the role for nearly nine years, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Singh said his work with the department is finished, noting that California's mental health hospitals have reached compliance with many of the requirements outlined in a 2006 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (Romney/Hoeffel, Los Angeles Times, 1/28).
Doctors Medical Center, San Pablo
Joseph Stewart recently stepped down as president and CEO of Doctors Medical Center after his annual evaluation from the West Contra Costa Healthcare District board, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Stewart had served in his post for three years. The West Contra Costa Healthcare District board has appointed Richard Reid, CFO of Doctors Medical Center, to serve as the hospital's temporary CEO while it searches for an interim CEO and a permanent replacement for Stewart. Stewart will receive one year's salary as his severance pay, according to a board member (Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 1/13).
Gold Coast Health Plan, Ventura County
On Jan. 24, the Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission voted to hire Darlane Johnsen as CFO of the Gold Coast Health Plan, the Ventura County Star reports.
Johnsen has served as interim CFO for the new Medi-Cal managed care plan since November. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. Johnsen has worked in the health care industry for more than 20 years and previously served as financial administrator for the insurer Health Net. The terms of her new contract with Gold Coast Health Plan are under negotiation (Ventura County Star, 1/24).
Horizon West Healthcare, Rocklin
Horizon West Healthcare recently hired executive directors for two of its facilities, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The company named:
- Joe Gentilcore as executive director of its Horizon West-Foothill Oaks skilled nursing facility in Auburn; and
- Jeff Maggard as executive director of its Horizon West-Placerville Pines skilled nursing facility in Placerville (Sacramento Bee, 1/3).
John Muir Health, Concord and Walnut Creek
Calvin Knight has been named president and CEO of the two-hospital John Muir Health system, effective April 4, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Knight currently serves as president and COO at Seattle's Swedish Health Services, where he oversees operations at the Swedish's five medical campuses and its ambulatory care sites. In his new role, Knight will replace John Muir CEO Ken Anderson, who is retiring at the end of March after 36 years with the health system (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 1/27).
Kaiser Permanente Center for Effectiveness and Safety Research
Kaiser Permanente has tapped Elizabeth McGlynn to serve as director of its Center for Effectiveness and Safety Research, Modern Healthcare reports. The center uses data from Kaiser Permanente's 8.6 million members to conduct studies on medical devices, drugs and health care delivery strategies.
McGlynn currently serves as a member of the Institute of Medicine. Previously, she served as an associate director at RAND Health, a health policy research group (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 1/19).
Kaiser Permanente, Davis
Yvonne Otani has been appointed as medical services director of Kaiser Permanente's Davis Medical Offices, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Otani previously served as the medical group's assistant chief of pediatrics (Sacramento Bee, 1/3).
Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center
Terry Austen has announced plans to retire from his position as senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, effective July 7, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Austen currently manages operations for Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Jose, in addition to overseeing the San Jose Medical Center and Gilroy Medical Offices. He has worked for Kaiser Permanente since 1998 and began serving in the senior vice president position in 2004 (Sibley, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 1/19).
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto
Kim Roberts has been named vice president of physician network development and management at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
In February, Roberts left her previous post as CEO of Santa Clara Valley Hospital and Health Care after three years in the position. Roberts also previously served as CFO of the Santa Clara Valley Hospital and Health Care System (Schubarth, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 1/3).
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Jonah Frohlich has joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as the managing director of its health policy and business advisory division, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Frohlich previously served as deputy secretary of health information technology at the California Health and Human Services Agency. Prior to his tenure at CHHS, Frohlich served as senior program officer at the California HealthCare Foundation, where he helped to develop state and federal standards on health information exchange. CHCF publishes California Healthline (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 1/3).
Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Camino
On Jan. 12, Palo Alto Medical Foundation announced that it had named Elizabeth Vilardo as president of its Camino Division, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Vilardo replaces Richard Slavin, who was named CEO of PAMF in November. Vilardo, an internal medicine physician, has been a member of PAMF's board of trustees for 10 years and served as a member of Sutter Health's board for seven years (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 1/12).
State Compensation Insurance Fund
The State Compensation Insurance Fund has promoted interim CFO Daniel Sevilla to CFO and hired Ken Van Laar as chief risk officer, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Sevilla has served as interim CFO since October 2010, when the previous CFO left. Previously, Sevilla served as vice president of financial and operational planning and analysis at AAA of Northern California, Nevada and Utah. Van Laar has served at CompWest Insurance as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer. Prior to that role, Van Laar worked for insurers such as Liberty Mutual and Transamerica Insurance Group.
Both executives will receive an annual salary of $288,000, potential annual bonuses of up to 15% of their salary, a $1,200 monthly recruitment and retention payment and standard state civil service benefits (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 1/21).
Sutter Health
Grant Davies has been named CEO of Sutter Health's hospitals in the north San Francisco Bay region, Lake County News reports.
Davies previously served as executive vice president of Sutter's California Pacific Medical Center. In his new role, he will serve as CEO of CPMC, Novato Community Hospital, Sutter Lakeside Hospital and Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa. Davies has worked with Sutter Health for the past 10 years (Lake County News, 1/31).
UC-Riverside Medical School
On Jan. 1, Raul Ruiz started a position as senior associate dean for community engagement and partnerships at the future UC-Riverside Medical School, the Palm Springs Desert Sun reports.
Ruiz also serves as director of the Coachella Valley Health Care Initiative and as an emergency department physician at Eisenhower Medical Center. He will receive $65,000 in annual compensation for his new part-time position with UC-Riverside (Mitchell, Palm Springs Desert Sun, 1/13).
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