The membership of the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) recently elected its board of directors for 2017. Election and installation of the new board took place at the THA Annual Meeting held last month in Nashville.
Alan Watson, who is CEO at Maury Regional Healthcare System in Columbia, was installed as chairman of the board. In addition, Marvin Eichorn, executive vice president, chief operating officer and corporate treasurer of Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) in Johnson City, will serve as chairman-elect of the board before assuming the role of chair for 2018.
In his first remarks as THA chairman, Watson outlined his priorities for the Association in the coming year. "THA will make passage of a viable comprehensive coverage solution for the Medicaid gap population in our state a top priority in 2017. As hospitals, we know everyone in our communities deserves access to affordable healthcare and this is a cause worth supporting," Watson said. "THA will continue to focus on a number of federal policy issues and will strive to expand the success of achievements in improving patient safety and quality across the state," he continued.
Watson has 34 years of healthcare experience, including 15 years of clinical work as a nuclear medicine technologist. In addition to serving as CEO at Maury Regional Healthcare System, he has served as CEO at St. Mary's Medical Centers of Campbell and Scott counties and Baptist Hospital West in the Knoxville area, and CEO at Bradley Memorial Hospital in Cleveland. Watson is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and also serves on the board of the Hospital Alliance of Tennessee (HAT).
Other members of the THA board of directors for 2017 include:
- Scott Bowman, administrator, Sweetwater Hospital Association
- Reginald Coopwood, MD, president and CEO, Regional One Health, Memphis
- Thomas Gee, CEO, Henry County Medical Center, Paris
- Joy Golden, CEO, Lakeside Behavioral Health System, Memphis
- Keith Goodwin, president and CEO, East Tennessee Children's Hospital, Knoxville
- Marilyn Gray, board member, Cookeville Regional Medical Center
- Audrey Gregory, CEO, Saint Francis Hospital, Memphis
- Don Heinemann, CEO, Blount Memorial Hospital, Maryville
- Bart Hove, president and CEO, Wellmont Health System, Kingsport
- Robert Klein, COO, Central Group, LifePoint Health, Inc., Brentwood
- Paul Korth, CEO and CFO, Cookeville Regional Medical Center
- Joseph Landsman, president and CEO, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville
- Nick Lewis, CEO, Hardin Medical Center, Savannah
- Jason Little, president and CEO, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, Memphis
- David Maness, DO, University of Tennessee Family Medicine Residency Program, Jackson
- Tim McGill, CEO, Livingston Regional Hospital
- Thomas Ozburn, CEO, TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center, Nashville
- Wright Pinson, MD, deputy CEO/chief health system officer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
- Heather Rohan, president and CEO, TriStar Centennial Medical Center, Nashville
- James Ross, chief operating officer/interim CEO, West Tennessee Healthcare, Jackson
- Larry Schumacher, CEO, CHI Memorial, Chattanooga
- Morris Seligman, MD, executive vice president/chief medical officer (CMO), Mountain States Health Alliance, Johnson City
- Anthony Spezia, president and CEO emeritus, Covenant Health, Knoxville
- Kevin Spiegel, president/CEO, Erlanger Health System, Chattanooga
- Karen Springer, CEO, Saint Thomas Health, Nashville
- Ted Stubblefield, board member, NorthCrest Medical Center, Springfield
- Donald Webb, CEO, Williamson Medical Center, Franklin
- Chuck Whitfield, president and CEO. Laughlin Memorial Hospital, Greeneville
- THA President and CEO Craig Becker also serves as secretary and an ex-officio member of the board of directors.