Wellstar Health System’s board of trustees selected Mr. Patel to serve as the health system’s president and CEO. He assumed his responsibilities in late October 2025, bringing a record of transformational leadership from his roles as CEO of Tacoma, Wash.-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and as president of the Pacific Northwest Region of CommonSpirit Health, where he oversaw 12 hospitals, more than 300 patient care locations, and 20,000 team members. A defining accomplishment of his tenure was leading the merger of two health systems during the global pandemic, forming Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in January 2021 to create one of Washington state’s largest premier healthcare providers. Under his leadership, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health became the only health system in Washington state to earn all “A” Leapfrog patient safety grades, ranking among the best facilities in the nation. He also helped launch the VMFH Care Network in 2024 to establish formal relationships and provide expertise to independent hospitals and health systems across Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. He simultaneously held executive oversight of the Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research, and Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed specifically for people with HIV/AIDS. He currently serves as chair of the Washington State Hospital Association board and is active on the boards of Washington Roundtable, Challenge Seattle and CEOs Against Cancer.
