Vonderfecht retiring at Mountain States

Dennis Vonderfecht, president and CEO of Mountain States Health Alliance, announced his plans to retire at year-end.

Vonderfecht, 62, has led the Johnson City, Tenn.-based healthcare system for the past 23 years, first as CEO of Johnson City Medical Center in 1990.

“There were two main opportunities that I saw when I came here,” Vonderfecht said in a news release. “The board had a desire to expand the hospital from a physical standpoint … and the other opportunity I saw was the potential for a fully integrated health system.”

In 1998, Johnson City Medical Center purchased six hospitals in the region and formed what is now known as the Mountain States Health Alliance, which has hospitals and other services in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina.

“The selection of the next leader is a critical decision that will strongly impact the future of healthcare in our region,” Clem Wilkes, chairman of the Mountain States board of directors, said in the release.

An executive search firm has been chosen to help identify and interview potential candidates, both internal and external to the company, with a final decision from the board expected by July. The new president and CEO would then move into the role by October, as Vonderfecht plans to transition his responsibilities until his retirement on Dec. 31.