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Renown Health is pleased to announce that Susan Lee, DO, MBA will serve as Chief Operating Officer for Renown South Meadows Medical Center. Dr. Lee begins her new role on March 7, and succeeds Chris Nicholas, who resigned last month for a position with a health system in Florida. Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, President & CEO, Renown Health, announced Dr. Lee’s internal promotion today by writing, “Embracing our vision to improve the health of our community, we are empowering leaders to play a greater role in improving physician, employee and patient experiences; growing services to our community; providing Reliable and Exact Care and meeting rigorous standards for operational excellence and efficiency.” Dr. Slonim noted that he was excited as, “Dr. Lee expands her role, promotes a spirit of unity across the enterprise, and continues to make progress on achieving goals central to Renown’s success.” In her new role as Chief Operating Officer for Renown South Meadows Medical Center, Dr. Lee will work with Jennifer Allen, MSN, director of nursing and the South Meadows leadership medical staff and team to lead South Meadows to achieve its strategic and operational goals. Dr. Lee is an experienced, dynamic physician executive and operational leader with a record of service growth, clinical quality, patient communication and execution. She is experienced in cross-functional collaboration and nationally recognized for organizational change management. Board certified in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Dr. Lee has based her clinical practice as a hospitalist on the mind-body connection and a collaborative model with patients and families. Dr. Lee joined Renown Health as the Chair of Medical Specialties in the summer of 2020 to manage hospital-based physician practices. She was promoted to Chief Medical Officer for Renown Regional Medical Center in February 2021 to oversee inpatient clinical operations, including length of stay, hospital capacity, care management functionality, interdisciplinary rounds and Medical Staff services. Since September of 2021, as Chief Medical Officer for Renown Acute Care, she has been responsible for clinical operations, strategic direction, hospital-based physician management, the Medical Staff Office, regulatory standards, and quality and financial outcomes for Renown Regional Medical Center, Renown South Meadows Medical Center and Renown Rehabilitation Hospital. Prior to serving at Renown, Dr. Lee served as Chief of Hospital Medicine at Carilion Clinic, a 7-facility nonprofit, integrated health system headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia. Dr. Lee is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (MBA), Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and Duke University (BA). She is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Association for Physician Leadership. Renown South Meadows Medical Center, located in south Reno, is a 76-bed acute care community hospital offering exceptional surgical and medical services in a nurturing environment. Renown South Meadows Medical Center is home to south Reno’s only 24/7 Emergency Department and staffed with Board-Certified Emergency physicians. Renown South Meadows Medical Center offers advanced care for patients including comprehensive primary care; x-ray and imaging services; lab services; heart care; OB/GYN; physical rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation services; nuclear medicine and surgical services including orthopedics. As a not-for-profit organization, the Renown South Meadows Medical Center team embraces their role in improving the health and well-being of the people and communities served and provides necessary healthcare services regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap, age or ability to pay. In addition, Renown South Meadows Medical Center has been nationally recognized for providing the highest quality care and service, including: In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital rankings, Renown South Meadows was listed #1 in the State of Nevada (tied with Carson Tahoe Medical Center) for 2020. Renown South Meadows was rated High Performing for Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement and COPD. A hospital's score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, safety and volumes. Hospitals earning a High Performing rating were significantly better than the national average. Renown South Meadows Medical Center received The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® accreditation for Total Knee Replacement, Total Hip Replacement and Total Shoulder Replacement and was recognized as Top Performer on Key Quality Measures.® Dr. Lee says she "understands that health care today is as much about social skills and navigating multiple relationships as it is about clinical knowledge." Throughout her career, Dr. Lee has done much to contribute to a culture of innovation and transformation. Dr. Lee believes that, “providers need physicians, nurses and care teams who have high adaptability, flexibility, and, above all, the ability to care and be kind." Dr. Lee coaches teams to be responsive, empathic, have situational awareness and employ their clinical abilities at the highest level. She will often ask questions of her team to understand how they are "wired" to drive innovation and transformation- and to build culture and teamwork. She has hired and coached over 100 hospitalist physicians — many of them women — and promoted and served as a reference for hundreds of nurses, staff leader and advanced care providers. Dr. Lee serves as a peer mentor for other women, and men, who aspire to physician and healthcare leadership. The team at Renown South Meadows Medical Center is seeking great employees for careers in service; apply on line at https://careers.renown.org/.

Read More About Dr. Susan Lee to Lead Renown South Meadows Medical Center

Experienced leader to support physicians at Renown Regional and Renown South Meadows Medical Centers Renown Health is pleased to announce that Adnan “Eddy” Akbar, MD, will serve as Chief Medical Officer for Renown Acute Care, overseeing physicians at Renown Regional Medical Center and Renown South Meadows Medical Center. Renown Health is the region's only Level II Trauma Center, serving more than 1 million people and a 100,000 square mile reach – across Nevada, Lake Tahoe and eastern California. Dr. Akbar begins his new role on July 25, succeeding former Chief Medical Officer for Acute Care, Dr. Susan Lee, who was promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Renown South Meadows Medical Center on March 7, 2022. Thomas Graf, MD, CEO for Renown Health, announced Dr. Akbar’s internal promotion today by writing, “Embracing our vision to improve the health of our community, we are empowering leaders to play a greater role in improving physician, employee and patient experiences; growing services to our community; providing Reliable and Exact Care® and meeting rigorous standards for operational excellence and efficiency.” Dr. Graf noted that he was excited as, “Dr. Akbar expands his role, promotes a spirit of unity across the enterprise, and continues to make progress on achieving goals central to Renown’s success.” In his new role as Chief Medical Officer for Acute Care, Dr. Akbar will join Dr. Rahul Mediwala, Chief Medical Officer for Health Services, to lead physicians and clinicians across the Renown enterprise. Dr. Akbar will report directly to Chris Nicholas, Chief Executive Officer for Renown Regional Medical Center. Dr. Akbar is an experienced, dynamic physician executive and operational leader with a record of hospital operations, medical staff leadership and engagement, quality improvement, patient safety, patient experience, risk management, utilization management and clinical documentation improvement. Chris Nicholas, Chief Executive Officer of Renown Regional Medical Center wrote, “Over the last seven years and through all the physician leadership positions he has held, Dr. Akbar has had an intense focus on improving patient care, driving hospital and operational improvements, and demonstrating the best of Renown’s mission, vision and values. Renown has a national reputation for delivering health care that is affordable, accessible and of the highest quality and I look forward to working with Dr. Akbar to engage physicians and administrators in an agenda that supports this vision.” Dr. Susan Lee, Chief Operations Officer of Renown South Meadows Medical Center added, “As we considered the needs of the organization and our future, we determined that Dr. Akbar was the right person to lead physicians across Acute Services. In addition, Dr. Akbar has demonstrated strong and engaging leadership with physicians, nurses, the senior management team and across our hospitals and we are confident in Eddy’s ability to contribute to the great progress that Renown Health is making in becoming the best place to practice medicine and to receive care.” Dr. Akbar has been with Renown Health for seven years, previously serving as Secretary of Medical Staff, an Internal Medicine physician, Chair of the Department of Medicine, Division Chief for Hospital Medicine and most recently as a hospitalist physician of Renown Medical Group and Associate Chief Medical Officer of Renown Regional Medical Center. Dr. Akbar is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of Nevada-Reno, School of Medicine and a member of the Clinical Faculty at St. Georges University School of Medicine, Grenada. Dr. Akbar is fluent in four languages including Urdu, Pushto and Hindi. Dr. Akbar completed his residency in internal medicine at Cleveland Clinic. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and earned his medical degree from Aga Khan Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Akbar is completing his master’s in healthcare administration from Cornell University. Dr. Akbar’s research interests include observation criteria and appropriate utilization management of hospitalized patients, development and usage of dedicated Epic order sets to improve patient care and outcomes, advancement and development of Milestone appropriate care during acute hospitalization and transitional care policies to reduce hospital readmissions and improve patient care. In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals rankings, Renown Regional is #1 in the State of Nevada for 2021. No other hospital in Nevada earned recognition from U.S. News. Renown South Meadows was listed #1 in the State of Nevada (tied with Carson Tahoe Medical Center) for 2021. Renown Regional Medical Center is High Performing, its highest rating possible, for Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Renown South Meadows was rated High Performing for Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement and COPD. A hospital's score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, safety and volumes. Hospitals earning a High Performing rating were significantly better than the national average. The team at Renown Health is seeking great employees for careers in service; apply online at https://careers.renown.org/. About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®.

Read More About Adnan Akbar, MD, Appointed Chief Medical Officer for Renown Acute Care

Renown Health is pleased to announce that Samuel K. Weller, MHPA, will serve as Chief Executive Officer for Renown South Meadows Medical Center, a 118-bed acute care community hospital and Renown Rehabilitation Hospital, a 62-bed physical rehabilitation hospital in Reno, Nev. The position was formerly held by Chris Nicholas, FACHE, who was promoted in March 2022 to serve as CEO of 808-bed Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. Renown Health is the largest and only locally owned not-for-profit, charitable healthcare network in Reno, serving over 1 million people and 100,000 square miles between Salt Lake City and Sacramento. As CEO, Mr. Weller will work with the South Meadows and Rehabilitation leadership, medical staff, and team to achieve patient care, efficiency, and operational goals.  “We are excited to have Sam join the Renown Health senior leadership team at this pivotal moment in our history,” said Dr. Brian Erling, Renown’s president and CEO. “Sam is a dyamic health care executive with a solid record of advancing acute and ambulatory operations while collaborating with physicians and clinicians to expand services, enhance clinical quality, and exceed customer service expectations. Sam leads with integrity and a people-first approach which are essential to deliver on our mission to improve the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve.” Mr. Weller comes to Renown from Centura Health where he served as Group Vice President of Physician Enterprise for Greater Colorado and Kansas, overseeing physician services across a Level 1 Trauma hospital, eight Level III Trauma hospitals, two Critical Access/Trauma IV hospitals and numerous primary care and specialty practices. He previously served as Director of Strategy and Ambulatory Practices for St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Summit County, CO overseeing hospital and ambulatory operations for the Rocky Mountain region; and Group Manager Business Development in Denver. Mr. Weller is a graduate of Washington State University with a master’s degree in health policy and administration (MHPA) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from Brigham Young University-Idaho. “I love health care because it is about people helping people,” says Sam Weller. “Renown is the most valued and trusted system of health for northern Nevadans, and working together, I am excited to help transform care for our community and improve the quality of life for generations to come.”  South Reno continues to grow, and consumer demand continues to increase for Renown medical providers and facilities. The South Meadows campus, which opened more than 15 years ago in February 2004, is currently improving existing facilities, and expanding service offerings to meet expressed needs of the community. Renown South Meadows Medical Center features private patient rooms for hospital stays, and will add additional private rooms, bringing the total to 73 private rooms when work is done this September.  Weller will assume his new duties on June 26.  Renown South Meadows Medical Center has been nationally recognized for providing the highest quality care and service.  In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital rankings, Renown South Meadows was listed #1 in the State of Nevada (tied with Carson Tahoe Medical Center) for 2020. Renown South Meadows was rated High Performing for Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement and COPD. A hospital's score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, safety, and volumes. Hospitals earning a High Performing rating were significantly better than the national average. Renown Regional Medical Center was listed #1 for the State of Nevada in U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital listing for 2021 and 2022.  Sam and the team at Renown South Meadows Medical Center and Renown Rehabilitation Hospital are hiring great physicians, nurses and associates for careers in service; apply online at renown.org/careers, and volunteers to assist patients and their families at renown.org/About/Volunteers. About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 associates, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown is currently hiring great physicians, nurses and associates for careers in service; apply online at renown.org/careers and volunteers to assist patients and their families at renown.org/About/Volunteers.

Read More About Samuel K. Weller Appointed CEO for Renown South Meadows Medical Center and Renown Rehabilitation Hospital

Only hospital in northern Nevada to receive national recognition for patient safety and quality Renown South Meadows Medical Center in south Reno has earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers, using their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. health care. Leapfrog is the nation’s premier advocate of transparency in health care—collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data to inform value-based purchasing and improved decision-making. This national distinction recognizes Renown Health’s national accomplishments in ensuring safe, high-quality hospital care for patients. The Leapfrog Group is an independent, nonprofit organization that upholds the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries, and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.  Leapfrog sets their standards using peer reviewed literature and expert opinion, peer comparisons, and alignment with existing national standards or performance targets. “We are very proud to recognize physicians, nurses, clinicians and the entire team at Renown South Meadows Medical Center for achieving exceptional Leapfrog performance in Patient-Centered Care, Critical Care, Nursing and Bedside Care for Patients, Patient Safety, Medication Safety, and Care for Total Joint Replacement and Elective Outpatient Surgery Patients,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President and CEO, Renown Health. “As the only locally governed not-for-profit academic healthcare network in the region, Renown’s success is shared with our patients and community. We celebrate and thank our physicians, nurses, and caregivers for their continued dedication to making a genuine difference in the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve.” “Everyone who works at Renown South Meadows Medical Center should be proud of this ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade,” said Leah Binder, president, and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes complete dedication at every level, and an ironclad commitment to putting patients first. I thank Renown South Meadows Medical Center’s leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for caring so deeply for patients and their safety.” “We are proud of our affiliated physicians and teams who give their best every day, to ensure that every patient’s care and safety is their top priority,” said Sam Weller, MHPA, CEO, Renown South Meadows Medical Center. “We recognize that when you choose a hospital, you could be making a life-or-death decision. Not every hospital is the same. Performance on things like infection rates, surgical errors, or patient injuries varies considerably—and matters greatly. It’s important for consumers to know and consider these things when choosing what physicians, hospital, or Emergency Room to select for their care. We are very excited to be recognized as the only hospital to achieve this designation in northern Nevada, and only one of two in the state (the other being in Las Vegas).”   To see Renown South Meadows Medical Center’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) and via The Leapfrog Group newsletter.   The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. Renown Regional Medical Center received a B score for Fall & Spring 2023. For more information on the Leapfrog Group and the Spring 2023 scores, please visit: hospitalsafetyscore.org. About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated health care network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,400 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. For more information, visit renown.org.  About The Leapfrog Group Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter.

Read More About Renown South Meadows Medical Center Earns Highest "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group

Renown Health is pleased to announce that Kate A. Ward, Pharm.D., BCPS, has been promoted to serve as Vice President, Oncology for Renown Regional Medical Center.    Dr. Ward has over fourteen years of service to the organization, most recently as Director of Clinical Pharmacy responsible for the oversight of all clinical pharmacy activities at Renown Regional Medical Center, Renown South Meadows Medical Center, and Renown Rehabilitation Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Ward is the Residency Director of the Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) Pharmacy Practice Residency at Renown. Over the last decade at Renown, Dr. Ward has served as Pharmacy Clinical Manager, Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator and Clinical Pharmacist.   Dr. Ward will bring her pharmacy clinical service experience (including ICU, Outpatient Infusion, Pediatrics, Oncology and Emergency Services), Inpatient Care, Clinical Research, and Hospital Formulary Management, Electronic Medical Record Integration and Optimization to this important new role.   As a dyad partner with Max J. Coppes, MD, PhD, MBA, Director of the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute at Renown, she will bring her clinical, operational, regulatory, and administrative experience to lead the oncology division. Dr. Ward, Dr. Coppes and the dedicated team will advance Renown’s mission to expand care, prevention, screening, research, and education with the goal of establishing the first National Institutes of Health, NCI designated Cancer Center for our State.   “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ward as our new Vice President of Oncology. She brings a wealth of experience and a passion for advancing patient care. Dr. Ward will play a pivotal role in sharing the future our oncology division and furthering our commitment to providing exceptional care,” said Chris Nicholas, CEO of Renown Regional Medical Center.    As a licensed pharmacist, Dr. Ward holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Colorado, Health Sciences Center. The Pharm.D. is a professional degree like a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). As a doctorate, it represents the increasing responsibility pharmacists have in healthcare systems and the high trust Americans have in pharmacists.    Dr. Ward completed her residency at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with her bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences. Dr. Ward is active in several professional associations and currently serves as a Pharmacy Board member for HealthTrust; Vice Chair of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists® Council on Therapeutics; and Vice Chair for the Silver State Scripts Board for the State of Nevada. Dr. Ward was the 2022 recipient of the Nevada Society of Health System Pharmacists (NVSHP) President’s Award. About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. To join the Renown Health team, visit renown.org/careers.

Read More About Exceptional Talent Joins William N. Pennington Cancer Institute at Renown; Dr. Kate Ward Brings Expertise and Vision as Vice President of Oncology Division

Chuck Podesta, national IT leader to use technology to improve the health and well-being of Nevadans. Renown Health is pleased to announce Charles (Chuck) Podesta has been named Chief Information Officer. Podesta is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience leading some of the nation’s top healthcare IT teams. He has literally worked from coast to coast and is excited to bring his talents to Nevada. “We are pleased to bring an experienced and talented leader like Chuck Podesta to lead our information and technology areas at Renown,” said Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, President & CEO of Renown. “As Chief Information Officer, he will have the opportunity to foster a culture of innovation and excellence in information technology which serves hundreds of thousands of people across the state and the nation. Chuck will use the power of technology to bring a new level of convenience to patients and providers and will use his talents and team to improve the health and well-being of Nevadans.” Chuck most recently served as Interim Chief Information Officer for UCONN Health’s John Dempsey Medical Center, School of Medicine and Clinical Research IT. Prior to that, Chuck served as CIO for UCI Health/UC Irvine School of Medicine and the University of California Health System. He also served as CIO for University of Vermont Health Network/Fletcher Allen Health; Steward Health/Caritas Christi Healthcare; Berkshire Health; Baystate Health and UMASS Medical Center, all in the New England area. Podesta specializes in creating, resourcing and implementing strategic technology plans; maximizing the power of the Epic electronic medical record; streamlining governance and priorities; aligning IT and medical informatics needs across affiliated entities including a medical school environment, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Clinically Integrated Networks (CINs) and medical practices; partners to implement best of breed customer-driven digital tools; leads participation in state-wide health exchanges (HIE) and coaches and mentors IT teams.   “Chuck’s experience and strengths in a variety of diverse and complex environments make him the perfect leader for us at this important time in our history,” explains Josiah (Sy) Johnson, Chief of Staff for Renown. Chuck will assure we are leading with innovative and contemporary approaches and integrating technology and expertise in our ongoing pursuit of excellence in improving health and healthcare in Nevada. “I am honored and excited to join the Renown Health family and the northern Nevada community,” says Chuck Podesta, Chief Information Officer. “I am impressed with the innovation and transformation at Renown; which has earned it a reputation as one of the nation’s leading health systems. I look forward to joining Renown Health at this exciting time in its history. I am excited to bring my skills and experience to create a positive experience when people use our technology. I am looking forward to leading the organization on this important journey.” Podesta is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and an active member of CHIME, HIMSS and the Society for Information Management (SIM). Podesta will begin at Renown on July 12.   About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, local not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,200 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Heath and Neurosciences. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®. For more information, visit renown.org.

Read More About Renown Health Welcomes New Chief Information Technology Officer

Renown Health is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Loomis, MBA, as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective July 1, 2024. Ms. Loomis will oversee all aspects of financial management for Renown Health including budgeting, financial planning, revenue cycle management, supply chain and strategic investments for Nevada’s #1 ranked health care organization.    Before joining Renown, Ms. Loomis served as Senior Vice President (SVP) and CFO with Portland-based Legacy Health, and prior to that as SVP and Chief Financial Officer for Washington-based MultiCare for more than 15 years.  With over 20 years in finance leadership and strategy, Ms. Loomis has led several transformative efforts to strengthen the organizations and build partnerships.    “We are thrilled to welcome Anna Loomis to our executive team,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President & CEO for Renown Health. “Anna is an approachable, innovative, and resilient leader. Her proven track record of financial stewardship and her deep understanding of the complexities of the healthcare landscape make her an ideal fit for the team. The essential role that Renown Health plays as the only local, not-for-profit, charitable healthcare network in Washoe County will be furthered by her commitment. We are confident that with her guidance and expertise, we will continue to strengthen our financial position while advancing our mission to deliver the highest quality care and service to patients.”    Anna earned her master’s and bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA); completed a finance fellowship with The Academy GE Fellows Program and serves on the Board of Directors for PacificSource health plans.   As of Aug. 2023, Fitch Ratings affirmed the 'A+' long-term rating on the series 2020A, 2020B, 2015A and 2016A bonds issued on behalf of Renown Health, NV by Public Finance Authority (Renown Regional Medical Center Project). In addition, Fitch has affirmed Renown's IDR at 'A+'. Renown's 'A+' revenue bond ratings and the Outlook revision to Stable are primarily driven by the system's midrange operating risk profile assessment, which has rebounded significantly over the past 12-months. Both the rating and Stable Outlook incorporate Renown's position as the service area's single largest provider of high-end acute care services and maintenance of the leading market position, with approximately two-thirds of all patients in northern Nevada seeking care at Renown. The rating is further informed by Renown's solid balance sheet metrics, which remain intact at or near historical levels. Given significant consumer demand for Renown providers and services, a master facility planning process and strategic planning process has been undertaken to ensure that Renown has adequate bed and procedure capacity, spaces to accommodate new technology and services to meet the needs of a growing patient base and community. As the region’s only Level 2 Trauma Center for both adults and children, Renown serves over 1 million people and 100,000 square miles across Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital Rankings, Renown Regional Medical Center has been named #1 in the State of Nevada for the last three years.   Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated health care network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,200 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. For more information, visit renown.org.

Read More About Renown Health Appoints Anna Loomis MBA As Chief Financial Officer

Renown recognized for using advanced technology to improve health and care in the community The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) announced that Renown Health has earned the 2021 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified Acute Level – 7 and Ambulatory Level - 7. The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply technology to improve health and care in their communities.  Renown Health was the only health care system in Nevada to make this year’s list, ranking alongside other national health leaders including UCLA Health, Scripps, Sharp, Stanford, Geisinger, Johns Hopkins, Yale New Haven and Intermountain Health.  “We are proud of our national reputation as an innovator in implementing new technology and systems of care to improve the health of our patients and the community,” said Tony Slonim, MD, D.Ph., President & CEO. “With our incredible IT team and partners, we are transforming care and demonstrating value in a way that appeals to patients and helps clinicians improve outcomes and reduce costs. Through Renown’s technology, thousands of people a day now choose the physician that’s best for them at renown.org; have an online video visit with their doctor from their laptop; self-schedule a mammogram or refill medications through the MyChart app; book ahead for an Urgent Care visit, and may receive hospital-level clinical monitoring in the comfort of their own homes through the Renown Transfer and Operations Center.” “Digital transformation in healthcare has accelerated to an unprecedented level since 2020, and the next few years will bring a wave of innovation that empowers healthcare consumers and will astound the industry,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell. “The Digital Health Most Wired program recognizes the outstanding digital leaders who have paved the way for this imminent revolution in healthcare. Renown’s trailblazing commitment to rapid transformation has set an example for the entire industry in how to pursue a leadership vision with determination, brilliant planning and courage to overcome all challenges.”  Speaking on the Wall St. Journal podcast, The Journal on Friday, Dr. Slonim described how Renown Health is one of the first institutions in the nation to provide hospital-at-home technology. Through the new Renown Transfer and Operations Center, physicians, nurses and care coordinators are able to monitor upwards of 1,000 hospitalized and lower acuity patients in their homes, making care more affordable and convenient.  “This state-of-the-art facility helps ensure seamless care for patients and providers across northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California,” said Sy Johnson, Chief of Staff at Renown. “Through this highly coordinated care logistics system, Renown is now able to deliver the right care, at the right time and place across the integrated delivery system. This system is enabling providers to provide care closer to home, in lower-cost ambulatory, outpatient surgical and skilled nursing settings- instead of the hospital, and to deliver a sizeable portion of care to patients- where they want to be- in their homes.” Bernard, a remote-home monitoring patient, provides a Thank You and Congratulations to the Renown team in a video here.  “Our teams are excited to partner with clinicians to adopt technologies that improve the delivery of care, across the entire Renown Health enterprise,” said Chuck Podesta, Chief Information Officer. “We have optimized clinical workflows so that our clinicians receive timely alerts and can quickly respond to patient needs. As a team, we are honored to receive this prestigious award for technology that enables us to provide safer, more effective and more efficient care for patients and our community.” In addition, the Renown website is now one of the most advanced in the country, with over 2.2 million visitors over the past year.  Renown also achieved the highest-ever rating for its use of the Epic electronic medical record system – seven stars.  A total of 36,674 organizations were represented in the 2021 Digital Health Most Wired program. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading.     About CHIME The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With nearly 3,400 members in 55 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org. About Renown Health Renown Health is a locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital rankings, Renown Regional Medical Center was listed #1 in the State of Nevada. Renown has a long tradition and commitment to improve the care and the health of our community. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®. For more information, visit renown.org.

Read More About Renown Health Tops 2021 Most Wired List for Digital Innovation, Technology and a Better Patient Experience

Get to know Renown’s new CEO in his letter to employees and care providers. Today marks Dr. Brian Erling’s first day as Renown Health’s President & CEO. Dr. Erling sent the following letter and this video to Renown’s employees and care providers. We are pleased to share it with our community. Hello! Today marks my first day as your Renown Health President and CEO, so I thought I would kick off the occasion with a note. Throughout the interview process, I have been beyond impressed with the passion and purpose demonstrated by all who I have met, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the warm welcome that we have received. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you, but it may take some time to get to all 7000 of you, so I thought I would share some information not included in the initial announcement. A bit about where I come from and what I believe, which informs how I approach leadership. Healthcare has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Minnesota and started my healthcare career as a nursing assistant during high school, and then as a monitor tech during college. After medical school and training, I went on to spend the next dozen years in the ED of a Level I trauma center in west Denver. I met my wife, Jessica, while attending medical school in Baltimore. She was working as a nurse in the surgical ICU and I was smitten. I offered to help her with a 3 am turn and bed linen change for our trauma patient, and the rest was history. We have three kids ages 17-22. I may wear a suit, but first and foremost I am a husband, father, clinician and a caregiver. Over the last 20+ years, I have worked my fair share of nights, weekends, and holidays, and I know the sacrifice you and your families make to care for our community. I will never take it for granted. I have been the sole provider covering a busy night shift, and I know that the trust and collaboration with your immediate team matters more than anything I am putting in this email. In fact, being part of a high performing, mission-driven team is my number one motivation. It’s what gets me up in the morning and why I work in healthcare. I have provided clinical leadership for a large, regional health system and understand that quality, safety, and innovation comes from the people doing the work, not from a corporate office. But you also need strong managers and leaders to facilitate and prioritize the work, and to provide support and inspiration. I view our greatest resource to be our people (each of you). Fancy robots, imaging equipment, etc. are essential, but they are not why our patients choose us. They come for your brand of hometown, trusted care. I am very excited about the new partnership with Renown and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. While still in its infancy, it provides the platform for us to be the center for training, research, and tertiary care for the region (and beyond). Most health systems would love to have their own health plan. The reality is that you cannot meaningfully improve the health of the population without managing value and risk. We are fortunate to have Hometown Health as part of Renown Health, and in our community, and I am excited to work with them to fulfill the mission of the organization. I have worked in for-profit and not-for profit healthcare. Renown is unique in the market as the only nonprofit health system in the market. What that means is that we invest every penny earned back into caring for our community. We don’t send money to shareholders in California or Pennsylvania, we invest it right here in Nevada. That is the kind of organization that I want to work for and where I want my family to get care. Some of you may have noticed that healthcare leaders have an impressively short half-life. I recall not being terribly impressed with one of our hospital leaders early in my career, and one of my senior partners told me to “just wait, he’ll be gone in a year or two.” She was correct. In fact, I had five CEOs in the time I was practicing in Denver. It’s difficult to create and move an organization toward a unified vision when your leader changes every few years. As my track record will support, this is not my style. I have been in Colorado for over twenty years and now look forward to making Reno and Renown my home for years to come. We are in an unprecedented time in healthcare, as all U.S. health systems are experiencing skyrocketing expenses and insufficient revenue growth. Renown is not immune to these pressures, but we are well positioned in the market to weather the storm. By focusing on continuous clinical and operational improvement, Renown will continue to set the gold standard for community health system performance. I appreciate you taking the time to read this message. I look forward to meeting with and learning from all of you. When you see me in the hallway or out and about, please come up and say hello. The work we do is hard, but I try to make it fun when I can, and I definitely like to play hard outside of work. I have been snowboarding the Rockies for the last 20 years and am excited to ride some new trails. When I see you around, let me know if you have some favorite terrain to recommend. Here, at your side, and ready to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT! Brian Erling, MD, MBA President & CEO, Renown Health About Renown Health Renown Health is Nevada’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®.

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