Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis D. Keefe to Chair Massachusetts Hospital Association Board; Calls for Discussion on "True Drivers of Medical Inflation"

Hospital Leaders from Cambridge, Lowell and Boston Also Named to Senior Posts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	June 10, 2010
Contact:	Catherine Bromberg (781) 262-6027  cbromberg@mhalink.org

    

New Board Chairman Dennis Keefe, MHA President & CEO Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, and Tufts Medical Center's Ellen Zane (L TO R)

Dennis D. Keefe, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance, has been named the 70th Chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association Board of Trustees at MHA's Annual Meeting in Chatham today. He succeeds Ellen Zane, CEO of Tufts Medical Center, who held the one-year post from June 2009.

In his inaugural speech, Keefe said the issue of payment reform would remain at the forefront of the MHA agenda, saying, "We must be willing to embrace those principles of payment reform that rationalize our payment systems, with transparency, but in a way that is thoughtful about how soon this can be accomplished so as not to cause greater loss of jobs and negative financial impacts on providers, resulting in further destabilization our still shaky economy.

"We must have a clear and consistent message that transparently speaks to what the true drivers of medical inflation really are. Insurers have so far been able to successfully obfuscate this message, and we need to meet this challenge head on."

The theme of this year’s MHA annual meeting was “Shifting Sands”, symbolic of the great transition that comes with federal and state health care reform.  In her remarks before the gathering, MHA President Lynn Nicholas touched on the many issues that roiled the healthcare sector over the past year from state and federal reform, to the H1N1 virus, and more.

Nicholas closed her speech with the anticipation of greater change during the upcoming year for MHA and its members, adding, “But one thing is for certain - hospitals will continue to be an anchor in their communities. Patients in Massachusetts are well-served by people they may never know – my staff and yours, and you, the leaders of the finest hospitals in the nation. May your anchors stay strong despite shifting sands."

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Also at today’s annual meeting, the Association’s leadership team was announced for 2010-2011:

• Normand E. Deschene, FACHE, President & CEO of Lowell General Hospital will serve as Chair-Elect
• Peter L. Slavin, M.D., President of Massachusetts General Hospital, will serve as Treasurer
• Joseph J. Mullany,  President & CEO, Vanguard Health Systems New England Market will serve as Secretary

Ellen M. Zane, MA President & CEO of Tufts Medical Center will now serve as MHA’s Immediate Past Chair and Dale M. Lodge, President and CEO of Winchester Health Care Management will serve as Immediate Past Chair Most Recently Retired.

Allied Position:

• Elaine L. Bridge, R.N., Board Member, Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives

Trustees-at-large:

Class of 2011:

• John R. Fernandez, President & CEO, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary
• Paul F. Levy, President & CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• R. David Richer, CEO, Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital

Class of 2012:

• Patrick L. Muldoon, FACHE, President & CEO, HealthAlliance Hospitals

Class of 2013:

• Charles D. Gijanto, President, Baystate Franklin Medical Center
• Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO, Southcoast Hospitals Group
• Ralph de la Torre, M.D., President & CEO, Caritas Christi Health Care System

In addition to these nominees, the Board chair has the latitude to nominate the chairs of each of the Clinical Issues Advisory Council (CIAC), the Standing Committee on Finance (SCOF), the Standing Committee on Public Affairs (SCOPA) and the Trustees Advisory Council (TAC). 
The Board has the opportunity to vote on these nominations at its first meeting on Friday, June 11, 2010.  The nominees are:

• Peter J. Holden, President & CEO, Jordan Hospital, Chair, SCOF
• John M. Lowe, Ph.D., Board Chair, Emerson Hospital, Chair, TAC
• John W. Polanowicz, President & CEO, Marlborough Hospital, Chair, CIAC
• Francis M. Saba, CEO, Milford Regional Healthcare System, Chair, SCOPA

The following are the current board members who will continue without requiring a vote:

• Paul J. Andrews, Board Chair, Winchester Hospital
• Richard H. Aubut, R.N., President & CEO, South Shore Health and Educational Corporation
• Walter H. Ettinger, M.D., President & CEO, UMass Memorial Medical Center
• Richard C. Lord, President & CEO, Associated Industries of Massachusetts
• Delia O’Connor, President & CEO, Anna Jaques Hospital
• Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, President & CEO, Massachusetts Hospital Association
• Richard T. Palmisano, FACHE, President & CEO, North Adams Regional Hospital
• Michael V. Sack, FACHE, President & CEO, Hallmark Health Corporation
• Peter Siersma, M.D., Trustee, Cooley Dickinson Hospital
• David E. Storto, President, Partners Continuing Care
• Richard P. Ward, Esq., Trustee, Milton Hospital

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