Executive News

ACHE Member Update

Interim Regent Appointed
H. John Keimig, FACHE, president/CEO, Healthcentric Advisors, Providence, R.I., has been appointed Interim Regent for Rhode Island. 

Ethics Committee Update
ACHE’s Ethics Committee is responsible for reviewing member grievances and recommending actions to the Board of Governors on allegations regarding Code of Ethics violations. During the 2021–2022 committee year, the Ethics Committee considered four grievances concerning ACHE members. Of these, three cases continue to be under investigation and one case resulted in membership suspension.

The Ethics Committee is also responsible for conducting annual evaluations of ACHE’s Code of Ethics and Grievance Procedure and recommending updates to them. In addition, the committee reviews ACHE’s existing Ethics Policy Statements and suggests revisions and topics for new statements.

Ethics Committee members are ACHE Fellows who are appointed by the Board of Governors; they serve confidentially, with the exception of the committee chair, whose name is made public. The Code of Ethics, Ethics Policy Statements and other ethics resources are available at ache.org/Ethics.

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American Hospital Association Recognizes ACHE Fellows and Life Fellows 
During AHA’s April 2022 Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C., several Fellows and Life Fellows of the American College of Healthcare Executives were among those who received awards for their service to the healthcare field and for innovative approaches to providing care. They are as follows: 

Distinguished Service Award
Teri G. Fontenot, LFACHE, CEO emeritus, Woman’s Hospital, Baton Rouge, La., and Kevin E. Lofton, LFACHE, CEO emeritus, CommonSpirit Health, Chicago, were awarded AHA’s 2020 and 2021 Distinguished Service Award, respectively. This award is AHA’s highest honor, given to recognize significant lifetime contributions to the nation’s healthcare institutions. Presentation of the 2020 award was delayed until this year due to the pandemic. 

Board of Trustees Award
Thomas F. Zenty III, LFACHE, former CEO, University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland, received AHA’s 2021 Board of Trustees Award. The award is presented to individuals or groups that have made substantial and noteworthy contributions to the work of the AHA.

Award for Excellence 
Col Kathy A. Naylor, FACHE, chief, Air Force Medical Service Transition Cell, U.S. Air Force, Falls Church, Va., received AHA’s 2021 Award for Excellence. This award recognizes uniformed and nonuniformed federal healthcare leaders who have distinguished themselves through singularly significant or innovative achievements and leadership that have contributed substantially to the mission of the federal health system. 

Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award
Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, Mich., now part of the BHSH System and led by President/CEO Christina M. Freese Decker, FACHE, was awarded AHA’s 2021 Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award. This award recognizes people or organizations that have developed or introduced an innovative approach to healthcare financing and/or healthcare delivery to improve access or coordination of care. 

Foster G. McGaw Prize
Texas Health Resources, Arlington, Texas, led by Barclay E. Berdan, FACHE, CEO, won AHA’s 2022 Foster G. McGaw Prize for excellence in community service. The prize is given to a healthcare organization that has shown exemplary commitment to establishing and facilitating programs that improve the overall health and well-being of its community. The McGaw Prize is sponsored by the Baxter International Foundation, AHA and its nonprofit affiliate Health Research & Educational Trust. 

Member-Led Organizations Receive Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award
Three ACHE member-led organizations received the 2022 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, which recognizes employee engagement. They are: 

• Children’s Health of Texas, Dallas, led by Christopher J. Durovich, FACHE, president/CEO.
• Hendrick Health, Abilene, Texas, led by Brad D. Holland, FACHE, president/CEO.
• Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Health Care System, led by David Verinder, president/CEO, and an ACHE member.

A total of 41 organizations in a variety of industries received the award. 

2022 Congress Volunteer Event a Success

Sixty individuals participated in the annual Congress volunteer event, held during ACHE’s 2022 Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago—the first in-person Congress since 2019. This year’s volunteers painted colorful panels to create large murals that will be displayed in healthcare facilities across the country. Five participants were selected at random to win a mural for display at their facility, or they could opt to have The Foundation for Hospital Art donate it to a children’s hospital. The following participants and the organizations they represent were chosen to receive the completed murals: Anamika R. Desai, FACHE, Hackensack Meridian Health, Edison, N.J.; Diamond Staton-Williams, Atrium Health, Charlotte, N.C.; Wendy DeAngelo Fuchs, FACHE, Hospital for Special Care, New Britain, Conn.; Jeff Ciontea, Trimedx, Indianapolis; and Suzanne Kaseta, MD, FACHE, Boston Children’s Health Physicians, Valhalla, N.Y.