CEO Notes

John Murphy, MD
President and CEO, WCHN

Organizational Update

As you know, we are operating in a difficult economic environment and the recent State budget eliminates any hope of relief from the hospital tax which costs us nearly $1 million a week.  These economic challenges coupled with the transformational industry changes underway require us to constantly ensure that we have the right leadership structure and workforce composition to continue delivering exceptional care to our communities for decades to come.

As President and CEO, it’s my responsibility to guide our Network toward that prosperous future.  We are working hard to find efficiencies and cost savings, and will continue to do so.  We are taking a fresh look at our management structure, which was organized and designed for a different time in healthcare. Last month, after careful consideration, the decision was made to eliminate a limited number of management and supervisory positions across the Network. These reductions, while difficult to make, will help simplify the management structure and support a leaner, more nimble organization.

Additionally, I’ve restructured the senior leadership team so that we can successfully leverage the skills and experience needed to support exceptional patient care, operational efficiency and market growth. The new structure will provide clear ownership and greater accountability. To start, I will assume the role of President of Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital, in addition to my role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Connecticut Health Network. We will not replace Dan DeBarba’s role, allowing us to remove a layer of management, streamline reporting relationships and ultimately reduce expenses.

Allow me to highlight a few new and expanded leadership roles that will help us drive change and realize Vision 2020.

In addition to his role as President of Norwalk Hospital, Mike Daglio will now report to me and assume the newly created role of Chief Strategy Officer. Growth is critical to our future and Mike is uniquely positioned to help drive market growth and seize business development opportunities. Mike will continue to lead the Oncology and Cardiovascular service lines and will assume leadership responsibility for the growth and management of the Musculoskeletal and Behavioral Health service lines, extending our commitment to these critical practice areas across the Network. Mike will lead the planning and execution of new programs/strategic partnerships for the Network and drive execution of key real estate and construction projects. Joe Carofano, Vice President of Marketing and Communications and Sally Herlihy, Vice President of Planning will now report to Mike.

Sharon Adams, in addition to retaining all her current responsibilities as Chief Nursing Officer, will serve in an expanded role as Chief Operating Officer for the Network, increasing alignment and responsibility for patient care, quality and operational efficiency under one strong and capable leader. As Chief Operating Officer, Sharon will lead all hospital operations including Ancillary & Support services, Occupational Health, Quality and Patient Safety and Service Excellence. Sharon will report directly to me. Tom Koobatian, MD will continue to serve as Executive Director and Chief of Staff for New Milford Hospital and will also report to Sharon. Dawn Myles will take on a new role as Vice President of Performance Innovation responsible for implementing performance improvement initiatives, in partnership with Rowena Bergmans, which support the Network’s vision and strategy for the transition to value-based care, including the PHO and ACO.

Richard Gemming who recently joined the Network as Executive Director of Western Connecticut Medical Group (WCMG) will now report to me. In addition to leading the Medical Group, Richard will be responsible for leading the Network’s Primary Care service line, as well as developing WCMG’s strategic initiatives and ensuring that their growth and development are supported by and aligned with the Network’s overall strategic direction.

I appreciate your patience while we continue to build our organization for the future. I am confident that these changes will provide a leadership team designed to ensure our continued success.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and dedication to our patients, each other and the Network.

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