David Feinberg, MD, CEO and president of Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System, will take on a newly created healthcare role at Google, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"Dr. Feinberg is an unusually gifted leader and physician," said Scott Becker, publisher of Becker's Healthcare and partner at McGuireWoods. "He is uniquely qualified to lead Google's healthcare efforts."
Here are five things to know:
1. Google is expected to tap Dr. Feinberg to direct the tech firm's move into healthcare, a person familiar with the matter said, according to CNBC. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news. Google did not return CNBC's request for comment, and Geisinger did not immediately return Becker's request for comment.
2. Google's AI head Jeff Dean has acted as a key adviser in the search and interview process, which began months ago, according to several people familiar with the matter. Other candidates for the position included leaders from health consulting, hospital management and health insurance firms.
3. Dr. Feinberg is expected to report to Mr. Dean, but work closely with Google CEO Sundar Pichai. His role will focus on organizing Google's various health units, which include its cloud business, Google Brain, Nest home automation and Google Fit wearables.
4. Dr. Feinberg is the latest hospital executive to join Google. In July, news surfaced that former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, MD, is joining the Google Cloud team as an executive adviser to its healthcare and life sciences divisions.
5. Geisinger tapped Jaewon Ryu, MD, its executive vice president and CMO, to serve as interim president and CEO. Dr. Ryu will assume the role Dec. 1.
Editor's note: This article was updated Nov. 9, at 10 a.m., to include information about Geisinger's interim CEO pick.