Health IT Appointments and Hires 2014

Dr. James Merlino Named President and CMO of Press Ganey’s Strategic Consulting Division
Press Ganey Associates, Inc. (@PressGaney) announced that Dr. James Merlino will join Press Ganey as president and chief medical officer of the strategic consulting division. Dr. Merlino, an accomplished surgeon and industry leader in improving the patient experience, comes to Press Ganey from Cleveland Clinic health system where he serves as chief experience officer and associate chief of staff. He is also a practicing surgeon, and the founder and current president of the Association for Patient Experience.

Cal INDEX Names David Watson Chief Executive Officer
The California Integrated Data Exchange (Cal INDEX) (@thecalindex) announced that it has selected David Watson as chief executive officer effective immediately. “David Watson is a leader in healthcare technology and has a broad range of industry, management and technical skills, including a particular expertise in health data privacy and security,” said David T. Feinberg, M.D., M.B.A., chairman of the Cal INDEX Board of Directors. “His leadership experience makes him an excellent fit to lead Cal INDEX, which will provide the underlying data and technology platform to improve the quality of care, improve efficiency and reduce the cost of healthcare for all Californians.” Dr. Feinberg is president of UCLA Health System, chief executive officer of UCLA Hospital System, and associate vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences.

B. E. Smith Adds New Physician Leadership to Meet Growing Demand for Physician Executives in Healthcare Organizations
B. E. Smith (@BESmithInc), the leading full-service leadership solutions firm dedicated exclusively to healthcare providers, announced the addition of two experienced physician leaders to its Physician Executive Services. Marilyn Palmer, D.O., joins B. E. Smith as vice president, and Archelle Georgiou, M.D., will serve as senior advisor. The two industry experts strengthen the firm’s Physician Executive Service offerings to meet the increasing demand for physician leadership.

Dr. Denise Hines Named to HIMSS’ National Board of Directors
Denise Hines, DHA, PMP, FHIMSS, has been named to the Board of Directors of HIMSS (@HIMSS), a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology. Dr. Hines heads eHealth Services Group and also serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN).

IAHSS Appoints New Executive Director
The International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS), the only organization solely dedicated to professionals involved in managing and directing security and safety programs in healthcare institutions, has announced the selection of Colleen Kucera as its new Executive Director. Kucera will lead the organization in its efforts to further excellence in healthcare security, safety and emergency management for its international membership.

Sotera® Wireless Names Dr. Benjamin Kanter Chief Medical Officer
Sotera® Wireless (@visimobile) announced that Dr. Benjamin Kanter has joined the Company as chief medical officer. Dr. Kanter, an experienced healthcare technology leader, will deploy his expertise to advance Sotera’s clinical initiatives relevant to continuous patient monitoring.

Tenet Names Matt Cowley Chief Executive Officer of Its Health Plans in Arizona
Tenet Healthcare Corporation has named Matt Cowley as chief executive officer of its Arizona health plan operations, effective September 22. He will oversee the strategic operations of Phoenix Health Plan, LLC, and Phoenix Health Plans, Inc. Tenet’s Phoenix health plans serve Medicaid members in Arizona’s largest county and offer Medicare Advantage members around the state access to more than 50 hospitals and 6,700 physicians—comprising one of Arizona’s largest health networks.

Everyday Health Names Miki Kapoor as President of Healthcare Solutions
Everyday Health, Inc. (@EverydayHealth), a leading digital health and wellness company, announced the appointment of Miki Kapoor as President of Healthcare Solutions. In this newly created role, Mr. Kapoor will be responsible for executing Everyday Health’s growth strategy across the broader healthcare landscape and generating meaningful revenue from new customers channels.

Mark Janczewski Joins Systems Made Simple as Senior Clinical Informaticist
Systems Made Simple Inc. (@SMSHealthIT), a leading provider of IT systems and services to support critical architecture, data and application challenges in the healthcare industry, announced Dr. Mark Janczewski as its new senior clinical informaticist. In this role, Janczewski will serve as a physician resource for the company’s operations and clinical informatics teams, supporting the development of healthcare IT strategy models to address data management and interoperability challenges. He will also contribute to and represent the organization through his continued leadership as a co-chair on the international Standards Development Organization (SDO) Health Level Seven’s (HL7) Electronic Health Record Working Group.

Health Care Administrators Association (HCAA) Announces its First CEO; New Appointments to the Board of Directors
The Health Care Administrators Association (HCAA), a leader in advocacy, education and networking for the self-funding industry, named Carol Berry, CSFS its first chief executive officer, a promotion from her previous role as chief operating officer. In addition, the association announced the appointment of five new members to its 2014-2015 Board of Directors.

See previously reported hires and appointments on the next pages.