Kevin Schoeplein, who served as CEO of Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare from 2011 to 2017 and spent nearly four decades with the system, died March 27. He was 72.
He left behind a legacy of love, loyalty, devotion to family and quiet strength, according to his obituary.
Mr. Schoeplein joined OSF HealthCare in 1978 as an assistant hospital administrator and remained with the organization until his retirement in 2017. During his tenure, he played a key role in developing OSF as an accountable care organization and oversaw its growth from seven to 11 hospitals, according to his obituary.
“It is hard to put into words what Kevin Schoeplein meant to OSF HealthCare, the OSF Sisters, and to me personally as I was blessed to work directly for Kevin over most of my 24 years,” current CEO Bob Sehring said in a March 31 statement shared with Becker’s.
Throughout his 39-year career, Mr. Schoeplein touched the lives of thousands of OSF’s mission partners and tens of thousands of patients, helping position the system among the nation’s top-performing healthcare organizations, Mr. Sehring said.
“His vision, steady leadership and deep commitment to our Mission leaves a lasting legacy that continues to impact us all today,” he said.
Before becoming CEO, Mr. Schoeplein was the system’s executive vice president and served as the first president of the OSF HealthCare Foundation. In addition to his leadership at OSF, he also served on the boards of the Illinois Hospital Association, Catholic Health Association, Bradley University and David Vaughan Investments, according to his obituary.
OSF President Michelle Conger, who will become CEO in April following Mr. Sehring’s retirement, said Mr. Schoeplein was instrumental in mentoring her as a young executive. She joined the system in 1994.
“He placed me in the first chief strategy officer role for OSF HealthCare, and I learned from working with him that he was an amazing strategist who was able to discern through the many challenges facing healthcare,” Ms. Conger said in a March 31 statement shared with Becker’s. “He started the journey for OSF to become an integrated delivery system, One OSF, which set our organization on the path to assure we bring the best care to each community we serve.”
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