Former CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner has been tapped to join LifePoint Hospitals' board of directors, the Brentwood, Tenn.-based company announced Friday.
Tavenner, 63, left the CMS in February after leading the agency for more than three years, starting as acting administrator in December 2011. LifePoint's board has increased from nine to 10 members as a result of the appointment.
Known for working well with leaders on both sides of the aisle, Tavenner's political savvy likely caught the attention of LifePoint. Before joining the CMS, she served as secretary of Health and Human Resources of the Commonwealth of Virginia for four years. She also sits on the board of the American Hospital Association.
Though she's most recently worked in policy, Tavenner spent the bulk of her career at Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America. She served in a variety of leadership roles during her 25 years at HCA, most recently as president of HCA's Outpatient Services Group.
Compensation for LifePoint's non-employee directors varies, but in 2013 non-employee directors made about $319,000 in cash and stock compensation, according to a regulatory filing. Tavenner's compensation was not disclosed.
Tavenner is just one of several health policy officials who have cashed in with roles in the private sector. Tom Scully, CMS administrator from 2001 to 2004, is now a general partner at investment firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and senior counsel at Alston & Bird law firm, while former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, who served under President George W. Bush, is founder and chairman of Leavitt Partners, a healthcare consulting firm.
