Inside the Illinois Medical District
Rush University System for Health named a new president and CEO today.
Rush has promoted Dr. Omar Lateef, president and CEO of Rush University Medical Center. He will take over the top role overseeing the entire health system on July 1, while maintaining his current role leading the medical center, Rush said in a statement today.
Lateef, 48, will replace Dr. Ranga Krishnan, who was named CEO in 2019 and will become a senior adviser to the CEO. Lateef joined Rush University Medical Center in 2005 while doing a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Before leading the medical center, he was its chief medical officer. He was not immediately available for an interview.
Dr. Omar Lateef
Lateef earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Florida-Gainesville and a medical degree from Des Moines University. He completed his internship and residency at New York University Downtown Hospital.
“The board and I are very confident in Dr. Lateef’s ability to take Rush to new heights, not only in-patient care, but in the way healthcare is delivered in the future,” Susan Crown, chairman of the Rush and Medical Center boards, said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to Dr. Krishnan for his strong foundational contributions over the last three years as Rush CEO. Rush was fortunate to have them both in place during these turbulent recent times.”
Krishnan, who took over as CEO in 2019 after Dr. Larry Goodman retired, joined the organization in 2015 as dean of the medical college at Rush University and senior vice president of the West Side hospital.
Rush is the area’s fifth-largest health system by revenue, behind Advocate Aurora Health, Northwestern Medicine, AMITA Health and Cook County Health & Hospitals System, according to Crain’s data. Rush reported 2020 net patient revenues of more than $2.4 billion, a 10.5% increase from the prior year.
Rush has more than 900 patient beds and over 12,000 full-time employees, Crain’s data shows. Rush’s operations include Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital, Rush Copley Medical Center and Rush Health.
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Lateef is credited with helping Rush University Medical Center be recognized for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The medical center has also received other accolades under Lateef's leadership, including a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the system said.
Rush University Medical Center received an A grade in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades report, along with other local hospitals, including the University of Chicago Medical Center, in Hyde Park, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.
Rush is also seeing leadership changes in other sectors of the system. Earlier this month, Rush University President Dr. Sherine Gabriel announced she is stepping down at the end of June after serving as the school’s fourth president since 2019. The university has more than 2,500 students.
Rush is just the latest local health system to announce major leadership changes. Adocate Aurora Health announced last week that President and CEO Jim Skogsbergh is slated to retire in the next two years if its planned merger with Atrium Health is approved by regulatory officials.
Sinai Chicago, the city’s largest private safety-net hospital system, named Dr. Ngozi Ezike its next president and CEO, effective June 13.
Loretto Hospital CEO George Miller Jr. left the West Side community medical center last month. Tesa Anewishki, chief development officer and executive director of the Loretto Hospital Foundation, is serving as interim president and CEO.
This story first appeared in our sister publication, Crain's Chicago Business.
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