Cardiac surgeon Michael Schatzlein, MD, has been appointed CEO of Saint Thomas Health Services, a four-hospital system in Tennessee that is part of Ascension Health, according to a report by the Tennessean.
He replaces Patrick J. Madden who became interim CEO of Saint Thomas in Feb. 2009 after the departure of former CEO Jim Houser.
Dr. Schatzlein has been CEO of the six-hospital Lutheran Health Network in Indiana, which is operated by Community Health Systems. Lutheran Hospital CEO Joe Dorko will serve as interim CEO of Lutheran Health Network as it looks for a replacement.
In an interview with the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Dr. Schatzlein said he was attracted to Saint Thomas hospitals' slightly larger size and location in larger cities. He said the new position is the equivalent of a regional president in Ascension Health and he was impressed Ascension lists service of the poor as one of its goals.
Dr. Schatzlein earned his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine and also holds an MBA. He was chief of transplantation at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., from 1984 to 1989 and performed northern Indiana's first heart transplant in 1985. In 1994, Dr. Schatzlein transitioned to an executive role, when he was named vice president for business development at Lutheran Hospital.
Michael Mohrman, MD, a family physician in Fort Wayne, described Dr. Schatzlein as "a tireless leader," adding: "He brought the best out in everyone involved with the project. He gets the right people and he challenges them to take responsibility."
Read the Tennessean's report on Michael Schatzlein, MD.
Read the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's report on Michael Schatzlein, MD.
He replaces Patrick J. Madden who became interim CEO of Saint Thomas in Feb. 2009 after the departure of former CEO Jim Houser.
Dr. Schatzlein has been CEO of the six-hospital Lutheran Health Network in Indiana, which is operated by Community Health Systems. Lutheran Hospital CEO Joe Dorko will serve as interim CEO of Lutheran Health Network as it looks for a replacement.
In an interview with the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Dr. Schatzlein said he was attracted to Saint Thomas hospitals' slightly larger size and location in larger cities. He said the new position is the equivalent of a regional president in Ascension Health and he was impressed Ascension lists service of the poor as one of its goals.
Dr. Schatzlein earned his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine and also holds an MBA. He was chief of transplantation at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., from 1984 to 1989 and performed northern Indiana's first heart transplant in 1985. In 1994, Dr. Schatzlein transitioned to an executive role, when he was named vice president for business development at Lutheran Hospital.
Michael Mohrman, MD, a family physician in Fort Wayne, described Dr. Schatzlein as "a tireless leader," adding: "He brought the best out in everyone involved with the project. He gets the right people and he challenges them to take responsibility."
Read the Tennessean's report on Michael Schatzlein, MD.
Read the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's report on Michael Schatzlein, MD.