Categorized | Business

Wood named NHCH new president

MEDIA RELEASE

The Board of Directors of North Hawaii Community Hospital (NHCH) has unanimously selected Ken Wood as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital effective Oct. 1.

Wood replaces John White who announced his departure in early September.

“NHCH is at an important crossroad,” said Bob Momsen, Chairman of the NHCH Board. “Continuing to improve the healthcare provided to our community will require NHCH to be more active in the recruiting and retention of physicians than it has been in the past. We will also need to collaborate more with other physicians and hospitals, on this Island, throughout the State, and on the mainland. Additionally, we have to be prepared for changes to the way payers will reimburse providers in the future. Ken Wood has an ideal background for leading NHCH as it faces these challenges.”

Finding the right CEO to lead the hospital in this new direction has been a top priority for the Board.

“In Ken Wood, we have an exceptional leader with broad experience in health care, a dedication to meeting the health care needs of our community, and a passion for helping NHCH, our patients and our physicians thrive under health care reform,” said Bill Park, MD, who serves as NHCH Chief of the Medical Staff.

Wood is very familiar with the challenges and opportunities facing NHCH, having lived in the North Hawaii community for four and a half years and having served on the NHCH Board in 2009.

Wood has held numerous executive positions including:

* Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts: Executive Vice President (2009- 2010). Wood developed a deep understanding of Massachusetts’s health care reform’s impact on hospital and physicians. The Federal reform legislation, which will impact Hawaii, was modeled after the Massachusetts law.

* Blue Shield of California: Chief Operating Officer (2000 to 2006) and Chief Marketing Officer (1995 to 2000). During his 10-year tenure at Blue Shield, the plan grew from 1.4 million members to 3.3 million members driven by products and programs that encouraged patients to get the right health care and that rewarded hospitals and physicians for quality and service.

* FHP/Take Care Health Plans: Various executive positions in Colorado (1989 to 1995). Wood worked directly with physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies to succeed under global budget and capitation models.

“I’m very honored to have been selected as North Hawaii Community Hospital’s President and CEO, and I am genuinely excited to lead NHCH toward meeting the expanding health care needs of North Hawaii,” Wood said. “I’m also blessed to be joining an outstanding management team and staff. Much of my focus will be on recruiting new physicians, building strong relationships with health care providers around the state, and working closely with HMSA, Kaiser, and our other payers as we embrace health care reform.”

Wood and his family reside in Kohala. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.
North Hawaii Community Hospital (NHCH) is a rural, 39 bed acute care medical facility located in Kamuela, Hawaii. This non-profit, community-owned hospital opened in 1996 and serves residents and visitors of the Island of Hawaii. NHCH offers a full spectrum of acute-care hospital services.

It has a commitment to patient-centered care, treating the patient as a whole person – mind, body and spirit – in the context of family, culture and community. NHCH is a prototype for the careful integration of high-quality medical care and select complementary healing practices administered in a safe and caring environment.

Earl Bakken congratulates Ken Wood in the NHCH Medallion Ceremony. (Photo courtesy of NHCH)

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