Who: Ruth Brinkley
New role: President of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. She had served as CEO of Kentucky's largest integrated health system, KentuckyOne Health, since Catholic Health Initiatives formed it in 2012 and is credited with expanding signature programs in heart and cancer care. Brinkley was replaced by longtime Louisville, Ky., hospital administrator Chuck Neumann in July. She announced her departure in May, one week after CHI said it was selling its Louisville hospitals.
Background: Brinkley, who began her healthcare career as a nurse, previously served as CEO of Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Ariz., and as CEO of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The market: Kaiser Permanente's Northwest Region, which includes markets in Oregon and Vancouver and Longview/Kelso, Wash., provides healthcare and coverage to more than 570,000 medical and 260,000 dental members.