Capella Healthcare’s new National Advisory Board of Directors has been appointed, with Founder Dan Slipkovich named as Chair, according to Michael Wiechart, President and Chief Executive Officer. The Board includes representatives from communities served by Capella, including hospital board chairs, physicians and hospital leaders as well as other prominent industry leaders.
“We are honored that these distinguished individuals have agreed to accept appointments to Capella’s new National Advisory Board of Directors,” Wiechart stated. “Their knowledge, experience and leadership skills will contribute significantly to making us a better company and, by extension, help us achieve our mission of making healthcare better for all of the communities we serve. Since the Board includes key stakeholders from those communities, this ensures that our patients, employees, physicians and community leaders are represented as the Board provides direction for how we operate.”
Slipkovich, a founder of the company in 2005, served as CEO from 2005-2013 then as Executive Board Chair. With more than 35 years of hospital experience, he is a nationally recognized leader within the healthcare industry. A member of the Board of Directors for the Federation of American Hospitals, which represents over 1,100 hospitals, Slipkovich also serves on the organization’s Audit, Rural Healthcare, and Legislative committees. In 2011, he was presented a National Outstanding Eagle Scout Awards by the Boy Scouts of America’s Middle Tennessee Chapter, in recognition of his professional and personal accomplishments.
In addition to Wiechart and Slipkovich, the following individuals have accepted appointments to the inaugural National Advisory Board:
- Robert Z. Hensley served on previous Capella’s Board of Directors for seven years. He was with Arthur Andersen LLP from 1981 to 2002 serving public and privately held companies in a number of industries. He currently serves as a director for several companies, including Diversicare, Inc., a provider of long-term care services to nursing home patients; Athletico Inc., a provider of clinic based therapy services; and Community Healthcare Trust, a healthcare REIT. He also previously served as a director for Spheris, Inc., a provider of medical transcription technology and services, and HealthSpring Inc., a managed care organization providing primarily Medicare Advantage programs.
- Kathy Hewitt, CPA, Board Chair for EASTAR Health System, Muskogee, OK, is Managing Partner of Kathy Hewitt, CPA, LLP. She was the first woman elected Mayor of Muskogee, OK, and served two terms. Hewitt was recently honored with the first Women’s Leadership “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the local Chamber of Commerce for her many years of dedication to the city. 2012, she received Capella’s “Board Leadership Award” for her outstanding service.
- Tallulah Holmstrom, MD, is Chief Medical Officer for Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Hartsville, SC, and KershawHealth in Camden, SC. She continues to maintain a private practice in affiliation with Sentinel Health Partners, which she joined in 1996. Board-certified in internal medicine as well as hospice and palliative medicine, she has held numerous leadership positions at KershawHealth, including as Chief of Staff and Chair of the Department of Medicine as well as on the Board of Trustees. She is also a member of Capella’s National Physician Leadership Group.
- Donald E. Lighter, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACHE, serves as Professor and core faculty for the Physicians’ Executive MBA program at the University of Tennessee and as Director of The Institute for Healthcare Quality Research and Education. Previously, he served as Vice President for Quality at WellCare Health Plans and as Chief Quality Officer for the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a 22 hospital system. In 2012, Lighter was appointed to a three-year term as a Judge for the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, and he is also active in the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence program, serving in several different capacities, including examiner, trainer, judge, and scorebook reviewer.
- Jerry Mabry, FACHE, is Capella’s Arkansas Market President as well as CEO of National Park Medical Center, Hot Springs, AR, which has received Capella’s top hospital award four times. He has been honored with Capella’s annual CEO Leadership Award three times. Prior to joining NPMC in 1994, Mabry was CEO of sister hospital Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Russellville. With more than 40 years of service at the two hospitals, he is one of Capella’s longest tenured employees.
- Mark Medley is President of Hospital Operations for Capella Healthcare, serving also as an Executive Vice President of the company. Since joining Capella in 2008, he has also served in numerous leadership positions with the Tennessee Hospital Association, including as Board Chair. He previously worked with HCA, HealthTrust and LifePoint Health. His 20+ years of experience also includes having served as hospital CEO and CFO.
- Meredith Nelson, CPA, MBA, is Chief Financial Officer of Willamette Valley Medical Center, McMinnville, OR. She received Capella’s CFO Leadership Award in 2015. She joined Capella in her present role in 2013 following work at LifePoint Health, where she was a division controller then served as a hospital CFO, and with HCA where she was an analyst and manager of financial reporting.
- Stephen Snow, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Capital Medical Center in Olympia, WA, where he has practiced since 1992. He is a Partner with Olympia Orthopaedic Associates, an integrated musculoskeletal care company. He has served in a number of leadership positions on the hospital’s medical staff and Board and is a member of Capella’s National Physician Leadership Group.
The National Advisory Board of Directors performs a host of duties, ranging from providing guidance for Capella’s quality, service and patient safety objectives; reviewing and approving the annual capital expenditure and operating budget plans; and evaluating the CEO’s performance. Each member serves a three-year term.
From left: Dan Slipkovich, Mark Medley, Meredith Nelson, Jerry Mabry, Kathy Hewitt, Don Lighter, Stephen Snow, Michael Wiechart; Robert Hensley and (inset) Tallulah Holmstrom.
About Capella Healthcare
Capella Healthcare partners with communities to build strong local healthcare systems that are known for quality patient care. Based in Franklin, Tennessee, Capella operates 10 acute care and specialty hospital facilities in five states. With the philosophy that all healthcare is local, Capella collaborates with each hospital’s medical staff, board and community leadership to take care to the next level. A private company, Capella has access to significant leadership and financial resources, investing 100% of its net cash flow in its family of hospitals to strengthen and expand services and facilities.
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