California Health Care Personnel News Update for July 2011
American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association has elected Benjamin Chu -- group president of Southern California and Hawaii for Kaiser Foundation's Hospitals and Health Plan -- as chair-elect designate, Modern Healthcare reports (Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, 7/17).
The designation means that Chu will serve a one-year term as chair of AHA starting in 2013 (Payers & Providers, 7/21). AHA represents more than 5,000 hospitals and health systems. In his current role, Chu manages 14 hospitals and 168 medical offices (Modern Healthcare, 7/17).
California Department of Health Care Services
On July 27, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) appointed Kelly Green (D) as deputy director of legislative and governmental affairs for the state Department of Health Care Services.
Since 2009, Green has served as a regulatory policy specialist at the California Nurses Association.
Her new position does not require Senate confirmation, and her annual compensation is $105,528 (Office of the Governor release, 7/27).
California Division of Workers' Compensation
Brown has appointed Rosa Moran (D) to head the California Division of Workers' Compensation, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. The division has a staff of about 1,200 and a budget of more than $135 million.
Moran has worked as a workers' compensation judge since 2005. From 1988 to 2005, she served as an attorney in private practice. The appointment requires Senate confirmation and annual compensation is $132,179 (Johnson, Sacramento Business Journal, 7/19).
California Health and Human Services Agency
On July 27, Brown named Donna Campbell (D) as deputy secretary for legislative affairs at the California Health and Human Services Agency. From 1996 to 2001, Campbell served as deputy secretary for legislation and general counsel at the state's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. Her new position does not require Senate confirmation, and her annual compensation is $125,196.
Brown also named Sonia Fernandez-Herrera (D) as chief of administrative and financial services at CHHS. Since 2008, Fernandez-Herrera has served as the administrative unit manager at CHHS. Her new position does not require Senate confirmation and annual compensation is $83,064 (Office of the Governor release, 7/27).
Delta Dental of California, Delta Dental Insurance
Tom Leibowitz has been named vice president and chief actuary for Delta Dental of California, Delta Dental Insurance and their affiliated companies, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
In his new role, Leibowitz will oversee 50 actuarial analysts in Delta Dental's California, Georgia and Pennsylvania offices. Previously, Leibowitz oversaw more than 30 actuaries and analysts while working at Kaiser Permanente's Western region. He also has served as vice president of actuarial services for Health Net's Managed Health Network (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 7/21).
Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center
On July 25, Irene Chavez assumed the position of senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
She replaces Terry Austen, who previously held the manager role. Chavez most recently served as CEO of El Paso Specialty Hospital in Texas (Lynch, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 7/26).
San Francisco Department of Public Health
Greg Wagner has been named CFO of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Business Times reports.
During the past two years, Wagner served as budget director for former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) and current Mayor Ed Lee (D). In his new role, Wagner will manage the city public health agency's $1.6 billion budget. The agency runs San Francisco General Hospital and Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. Wagner is replacing Gregg Sass, who is retiring after 10 years with the public health agency (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 7/29).
State Compensation Insurance Fund, San Francisco
On July 22, the State Compensation Insurance Fund announced that it had appointed Bernyce Peplowski as medical director, the Business Times reports.
Peplowski, who has nearly 30 years of experience in occupational therapy, served as the State Fund's interim medical director for the last six months. Before joining the workers' compensation insurer in January, Peplowski worked as chief medical officer at Zenith Insurance and as chief of occupational medicine at Lockheed Aeronautical Systems. She also has worked as the regional chief of occupational medicine at Southern California's Permanente Medical Group, a division of Kaiser Permanente (San Francisco Business Times, 7/22).
Sutter Health
Martin Brotman -- president of Sutter Health's West Bay Region and former CEO of California Pacific Medical Center -- will become senior vice president of education, research and philanthropy for Sutter Health in January, the Business Times reports.
Pat Fry, Sutter's president and CEO, said in an internal announcement that Brotman will help advance Sutter's strategies for obtaining private and public grants and for engaging physicians in fund development (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 7/27).
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
Carrie Owen Plietz has been named CEO of Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento effective Sept. 1, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Plietz has worked with Sutter Health since 1999 and has served as Sutter's COO since January. In her new role, Plietz will lead Sutter General Hospital, Sutter Memorial Hospital, the Sutter Center for Psychiatry and the Sutter Oaks Midtown nursing facility. She will replace outgoing CEO Tom Gagen, who plans to retire in 2012 (Smith, Sacramento Bee, 7/15).
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