California Health Care Personnel News Update for September 2012
The Benjamin Rush Society
The Benjamin Rush Society -- which aims to bring together medical professionals to promote patient-centered care -- has named physician and health care policy analyst Beth Haynes as its new executive director. The society was established in 2009 by the Pacific Research Institute.
Haynes has worked in private practice and serves as a senior health policy analyst and executive board member for Docs4PatientCare, a physician advocacy group. Haynes also is on the board of directors for the Dr. Joseph Warren Institute, a not-for-profit organization focused on health care policy (Pacific Research Institute release, 9/5).
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has named Paul Noble as chair of its Department of Medicine.
Since 2006, Noble has served at Duke University Medical Center as professor and chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.
He replaces Glenn Braunstein, who served for 26 years as chair of the Department of Medicine. Braunstein is transitioning to a new role as vice president for clinical innovation at Cedars-Sinai (Cedars-Sinai release, 9/11).
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View
Mike Zdeblick has been named COO of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Becker's Hospital Review reports.
Zdeblick most recently served as vice president of operations at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago (Punke, Becker's Hospital Review, 9/5).
Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center, Los Angeles
Elaine Batchlor -- chief medical officer at L.A. Health Care Plan -- has been named CEO of Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center, Payers & Providers reports.
Before working at L.A. Health Care Plan, Batchlor oversaw health care finance efforts at the California HealthCare Foundation. CHCF publishes California Healthline (Payers & Providers, 8/30).
Scripps Health
James LaBelle -- who currently serves as Scripps Health's corporate vice president for quality, medical management and physician co-management -- has been named chief medical officer and corporate senior vice president of Scripps Health, effective Jan. 1, U-T San Diego reports.
He replaces Brent Eastman, who will retire at the end of this year and serve as president of the American College of Surgeons.
In his new position, LaBelle will take on a leadership role in disease management, clinical research, nursing operations and graduate medical education, according to officials (Lavelle, U-T San Diego, 9/12).
Temecula Valley Hospital
Darlene Wetton has started a new position as CEO of Temecula Valley Hospital, which is under construction and is expected to open in fall 2013, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Wetton previously served as COO at Corona Regional Medical Center. Both Corona Regional and Temecula Valley are owned by Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services.
In her new role, which she started on Sept. 17, Wetton will select department heads to help staff the new 140-bed hospital (Rodriguez, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 9/21). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.