Health Care Service Corp. makes two C-suite appointments, and other newsmakers

Health Care Service Corp., a Chicago-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurer, has made two C-suite appointments.

Eric Feldstein was named CFO, replacing longtime finance chief Ken Avner, who retired but is staying on temporarily as a special adviser. Feldstein most recently was an executive VP at American Express Co.

Meanwhile, Blair Todt has been named HCSC's chief legal officer. Todt is leaving WellCare Health Plans, a for-profit, publicly traded company based in Tampa, Fla., where he was chief legal and administrative officer.

Pamela Hess has been named CFO at St. Vincent's HealthCare in Jacksonville, Fla., effective July 18. The system is part of St. Louis-based Ascension.

Hess most recently served as CFO at St. Thomas West and St. Thomas Midtown hospitals in Nashville, part of St. Thomas Health, also a member of Ascension.

Cindy Russo has been named president and chief administrative officer at Baystate Franklin Medical Center/Baystate Health Northern Region, Greenfield, Mass. She replaces Dr. Thomas Higgins, who had served as interim president since June 2015.

Russo comes to Baystate Franklin from Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare, which she first joined in 2001. Since 2013, she was VP of operations for the system's central region, which included responsibilities as regional executive for emergency services and a number of service lines.

Cincinnati-based Mercy Health has announced C-suite changes at several of its hospitals.

Jason Asic, 37, has been promoted to COO at Mercy Health-West Hospital in Cincinnati. Asic, who joined the health system five years ago, most recently was the hospital's assistant CFO.

Justin Krueger, 31, was named COO at Mercy Health-Fairfield (Ohio) Hospital, succeeding R. Wayne Reid, who is now COO of Mercy Health's Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. Krueger joins Mercy from Aiken (S.C.) Regional Medical Centers, where he was COO for two years.

And Kathi Edrington, 39, has been promoted to East Market chief nursing officer, with responsibility for clinical nursing at Mercy Health's Anderson Hospital in Cincinnati and Clermont Hospital in Batavia, Ohio. Edrington has served as Anderson's CNO and site administrator for the past three years.

Bill Masterton was named president and CEO of University Medical Center New Orleans, the academic medical center of LCMC Health. He replaces interim CEO Gregory Feirn, who is also CEO of the LCMC system.

Masterton, 45, most recently was CEO of Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, S.C.

Fred Brower, president and CEO of Trinity Health System in Steubenville, Ohio, will retire in September after nearly 40 years with the system. He will be succeeded by Joseph Tasse.

Brower, 65, joined Trinity—then Ohio Valley Hospital—in 1976 as assistant administrator. When Tri-Health Services and Sylvania Franciscan Health joined to form Trinity Health in 1996, Brower was named president and CEO.

Tasse most recently was president of the St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, Mich.