Top 25 COOs in Healthcare - 2018

Alkire joined Premier in 2003. He's been COO of the large group purchasing and quality-improvement organization since 2011. Alkire leads integration of Premier's clinical, financial, supply chain and operational performance strategies for its members, which include about 3,750 hospitals. Before becoming COO, Alkire was president of Premier Purchasing Partners. With more than 20 years of experience in running business operations, Alkire helped Premier become the first hospital-owned GPO to go public in 2013. In the following two consecutive years, he was recognized as the Gold Award Winner for COO of the Year by the Golden Bridge Awards and the Gold Stevie Award for Executive of the Year, respectively.