California Health Care Personnel News Update for May 2012

Blue Shield of California

Last week, Blue Shield of California announced that its chair, president and CEO Bruce Bodaken will retire at the end of December, the Los Angeles Times reports (Los Angeles Times, 5/24).

Bodaken has served as CEO since January 2000.

He was one of the first health insurance industry leaders to openly support universal health coverage (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 5/23).

Paul Markovich -- COO of Blue Shield -- will assume the role of CEO after Bodaken's departure (Los Angeles Times, 5/24).

California Commission on Emergency Medical Services

On May 25, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) appointed Steve Drewniany (R) to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services.

Since 1989, Drewniany has held various positions within the City of Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. He has served as deputy chief of special operations for the department since 2011.

The position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation (Office of the Governor release, 5/25).

Hinds Hospice

Recently, the Hinds Hospice board of directors announced that founder Nancy Hinds -- president and CEO of the hospice organization -- is resigning from her position, the Fresno Bee reports.

According to the organization, Hinds plans to pursue "special projects and work with the board of directors in a defined founder's role."

Amy Tobin -- chief nursing officer for Kaiser Permanente in Fresno -- will replace Hinds as CEO effective Aug. 6 (Anderson, Fresno Bee, 5/14).

Independent Citizens Oversight Committee

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer (D) has appointed Michael Marletta to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which is the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, according to a CIRM release.

Marletta -- president and CEO of the Scripps Research Institute -- assumes a seat on the committee that is designated for a representative of a California university (CIRM release, 5/18).

John Muir Health

Paul Swenson has left his position as president and CEO of the John Muir Physician Network to become a senior vice president and chief strategic planning officer at Kaiser Permanente, the San Francisco Business Times' "Bay Area BizTalk" reports.

Although Swenson left John Muir Physician Network in December 2011, the information was not available until May, according to "Bay Area BizTalk."

In addition, Ken Meehan -- who previously served as executive vice president of hospital operations at John Muir Health -- left the organization shortly after Cal Knight became CEO.

Sources told the Business Times that both Swenson and Meehan were candidates for the role of CEO (Rauber, "Bay Area BizTalk," San Francisco Business Times, 5/9).

Osteopathic Medical Board of California

On May 24, Brown made several appointments to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California.

The appointees are:

• David Connett (R), who has served as associate dean of clinical services at the Western University of Health Sciences since 2007;
• Michael Feinstein (D), who has served as a physician at Encompass Medical Group since 2000;
• Jane Xenos (D), who has operated her own osteopathic medicine practice since 1991; and
• Joseph Zammuto (D), who has been a partner and a physician at Center Medical Group since 1997.

The positions do not require Senate confirmation, and compensation is $100 per diem for each appointee (Office of the Governor release, 5/24).

River City Medical Group, Sacramento

Ted Fong has been appointed COO of River City Medical Group, a 500-member physician group that is based in Sacramento and serves Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program.

As COO, Fong will oversee all of the physician group's operations, including relationships with health care providers, health insurers and business partners (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 5/16).

Simi Valley Hospital

Simi Valley Hospital has named Kim Milstien its new CEO, the Ventura County Star reports.

Milstien began serving as a volunteer at the hospital 16 years ago and later was hired as an assistant to the CEO.

More recently, she worked for Adventist Health -- Simi's parent company -- and served for three years as vice president at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.