Dallas-based Parkland Health & Hospital System's board of managers has named Robert Smith as interim CEO, replacing Thomas Royer, MD, whose contract expires at the end of August.
Dr. Royer was named as interim CEO in November 2011. In the release, Debbie Branson, chairwoman of Parkland's board of managers, credited Dr. Royer with providing stability but acknowledged that the hospital needs a new skill set to face current challenges.
"[Mr. Smith] has extensive experience doing just what we need him to do — taking an organization facing significant challenges and turning it around," said Ms. Branson, according to the release. The challenges Ms. Branson speaks of include Parkland's struggle to implement changes to protect its patients.
According to a Dallas Morning News report, a recent report by a federally assigned monitoring group described ongoing patientbsafety breakdowns at Parkland, including medication errors and a wrong-site surgery. Regulators are threatening to cut off essential funding unless the public hospital makes systemic reforms by April.
Mr. Smith's healthcare experience ranges from regional senior vice president of large multi-state operations to CEO and stints on the board of directors. In 2000, he was recruited by Clarent Hospital Corp. in Houston to restructure the company and its hospitals. Since then, he has managed multi-state regions for Universal Health Services in King of Prussia, Pa., and Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, bringing more efficiency and discipline to those organizations.
Mr. Smith will take over as interim CEO in September and serve until a permanent leader is named.
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Dr. Royer was named as interim CEO in November 2011. In the release, Debbie Branson, chairwoman of Parkland's board of managers, credited Dr. Royer with providing stability but acknowledged that the hospital needs a new skill set to face current challenges.
"[Mr. Smith] has extensive experience doing just what we need him to do — taking an organization facing significant challenges and turning it around," said Ms. Branson, according to the release. The challenges Ms. Branson speaks of include Parkland's struggle to implement changes to protect its patients.
According to a Dallas Morning News report, a recent report by a federally assigned monitoring group described ongoing patientbsafety breakdowns at Parkland, including medication errors and a wrong-site surgery. Regulators are threatening to cut off essential funding unless the public hospital makes systemic reforms by April.
Mr. Smith's healthcare experience ranges from regional senior vice president of large multi-state operations to CEO and stints on the board of directors. In 2000, he was recruited by Clarent Hospital Corp. in Houston to restructure the company and its hospitals. Since then, he has managed multi-state regions for Universal Health Services in King of Prussia, Pa., and Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, bringing more efficiency and discipline to those organizations.
Mr. Smith will take over as interim CEO in September and serve until a permanent leader is named.
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