HCA (NYSE: HCA) today announced an organizational change creating a
third operating group.
The new Central Group will be responsible for 58 hospitals in Indiana,
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire,
Tennessee and Virginia.
The reorganization, effective January 1, 2006, creates smaller groups
and correspondingly smaller division and market structures. This change
is designed to augment the company's market based strategy that calls
for its hospitals in a market to work together on providing services to
their community.
"Organizing into smaller operating entities is an important part of
supporting hospitals as they move toward a market based orientation,"
said Richard M. Bracken, President and Chief Operating Officer of HCA.
"This new structure allows leadership to focus on more manageable
groupings of hospitals and provide them more direct support."
Paul Rutledge, currently President of the HCA MidAmerica Division has
been named President of the Central Group.
Rutledge has been president of HCA's MidAmerica Division which includes
16 hospitals in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana since January of 2001.
He has served in leadership capacities with HCA for more than 20 years,
working with hospitals in New Orleans, La., Rome, Ga. and Nashville,
Tenn. He was named president of Centennial Medical Center in 1993 and
promoted to president of TriStar Health System in 1996.
A Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives, Rutledge
earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a
master's degree in health administration from Georgia State University
in Atlanta. He serves on the boards of the Nashville Chamber of
Commerce, the Tennessee Hospital Association, the Federation of American
Hospitals and the Jason Foundation.
"Paul is a veteran HCA operator who understands the intricacies of a
multi-hospital organization. He has proven leadership skills and is a
great choice to lead the Central Group," Bracken said.
In related moves, Russ Harms, current Chief Financial Officer of the
MidAmerica Division will become Chief Financial Officer of the Central
Group and Don Stinnett, current Far West Division Chief Financial
Officer will become the Eastern Group Chief Financial Officer working
with Eastern Group President, Charlie Evans. Current Eastern Group Chief
Financial Officer Jeff Crudele will move to Atlanta as Vice President of
Operations for the Georgia Division. Western Group leadership remains
unchanged with Sam Hazen as President and Rick Shallcross as Chief
Financial Officer.
Several divisional leadership changes also were announced. John Hanshaw,
Chief Executive Officer of St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City will be
President of the Mountain Division with eight hospitals in Idaho and
Utah. Larry Kloess, currently Chief Executive Officer of Centennial
Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. will be President of the Nashville
Division, composed of nine hospitals in middle Tennessee. The
six-hospital Richmond Division will be led by Pat Farrell, currently
Chief Executive Officer of CJW Medical Center in Richmond, Va. Margaret
Lewis, current President of the Central Atlantic Division will become
President of the new Atlantic Division, responsible for 16 hospitals in
Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia.
The company has also announced several new market leaders. The
Chattanooga Market, with four hospitals in Chattanooga, Tenn. will be
led by Jeff Fee, current Chief Executive Officer of Parkridge Medical
Center in Chattanooga. James Wood, current Chief Executive Officer of
Memorial Hospital Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla. will be President
of the Jacksonville Market, responsible for three hospitals. The South
Carolina Market, with five hospitals throughout the state will be led by
Terry Gunn, current Chief Executive Officer of the Trident Health System
in Charleston, S.C. The two- hospital Ft. Myers Market will be led by
Mark Weber, current Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Florida
Regional Medical Center in Ft. Myers, Fla.
All references to "HCA" and the "company" contained in this press
release refer to HCA and its affiliates. The term "facilities" refers to
entities owned or operated by subsidiaries or affiliates of HCA.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding HCA's business
which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that
involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and
uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those
contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the
Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal
year.
Investors, Mark Kimbrough, +1-615-344-2688,
or Media, Jeff Prescott, +1-615-344-5708,
both of HCA