Ronald A. Paulus, MD, president and CEO of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health, is leaving to take on a new role with Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, according to a Citizen Times report.
Dr. Paulus will serve as a strategic adviser for HCA, which recently completed its purchase of the six-hospital Mission Health for approximately $1.5 billion.
In an email to Mission staff obtained by the Citizen Times, Dr. Paulus said that as strategic adviser, he will focus on Mission's integration into HCA as well as on improving access to care. He said in the email that with the HCA deal, "we have set the foundation for a remarkable future, both for the health system and for the region," according to the report.
Dr. Paulus assumed the top post at Mission Health in September 2010. Prior to that, he was executive vice president of clinical operations at Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System. He was also co-founder and president of CareScience, a care management service provider that was acquired by Premier.
Dr. Paulus also noted in his email that HCA will appoint a division president to oversee Mission.