Who: Dr. Ramanathan Raju, 62
New role: President and CEO of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., the government-owned health system where he was chief medical officer, COO and executive VP in 2006-11. He was recruited in mid-2011 as CEO of Cook County Health and Hospitals System, Chicago. The HHC board will meet Jan. 30 to vote on his appointment.
Accomplishments: Raju said he recruited “the best and the brightest” management from across the U.S for the Cook County system, adding that efforts to stabilize the organization's finances succeeded. Figures for fiscal 2013 show an operating shortfall of roughly $44 million, but did not take into account $43 million in delayed revenue, he said. The operating deficit in 2011 was $156 million.
What's next: The New York system is faced with financial strain from damage caused by superstorm Sandy in 2012, which forced two HHC hospitals to evacuate and temporarily close. Raju said he hopes to build on his predecessor Alan Aviles' work, which strengthened the quality of the system's medical care and outcomes.
On the ACA: The law “will force the industry to change the way healthcare is delivered in this country,” Raju said. He will seek to position the large public health system for those changes, which will increasingly direct payment toward efforts that keep patients healthy and out of the hospital.
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