HCA today announced Dr. Thomas L. Garthwaite will become the Clinical
Services Group’s Chief Operations Officer, effective June 1.
Garthwaite, 62, will report to Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President of HCA’s
Clinical Services Group and Chief Medical Officer. He will support HCA’s
continuing efforts to improve quality of care, patient safety, and
clinical performance. Garthwaite also will provide medical direction for
Centers of Excellence programs and coordinated care models. He will work
closely with physicians and HCA colleagues in supporting clinical
excellence and strengthening the company’s relationship with its more
than 35,000 affiliated physicians.
“Dr. Tom Garthwaite brings seasoned executive leadership and an
impressive track record of improving clinical performance and
facilitating the use of technology to advance efficiency, patient safety
and patient satisfaction in a variety of settings,” said Perlin. “We are
delighted he is joining the HCA team.”
Since 2006, Garthwaite has served as the Executive Vice President and
Chief Medical Officer for Catholic Health East, where he oversees
system-wide efforts to improve quality of care, assure patient safety,
assess new technology, enhance physician relationships and expand the
use of clinical information technology. From 2002 until 2006, he was
Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Los Angeles County Department
of Health Services, where he had broad responsibilities for the health
of over 10 million residents and visitors. Prior to that, Garthwaite
spent eight years at the Veterans Health Administration in Washington
D.C., where he was Under Secretary for Health from 1999 to 2002.
Garthwaite helped lead the transformation of the VA and helped set its
course to excellence in care quality and its use of computerized health
records.
Garthwaite received the Secretary’s Exceptional Service Award from the
Department of Veterans Affairs in both 2000 and 2002. In 2001, he
received the Surgeon General’s Medallion, the highest award for public
health service given by the United States Public Health Service.
A graduate of Cornell University and Temple University School of
Medicine, Garthwaite received training in internal medicine and
endocrinology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he went on to
become an Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean.
All references to “Company” and “HCA” as used throughout this document
refer to HCA Inc. and its affiliates.
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Mark Kimbrough
(615) 344-2688
Media Contact:
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(615) 344-2810