Sutter Health Appoints Warner L. Thomas as Next CEO – GlobeNewswire

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| Source: Sutter Health Sutter Health
Sacramento, California
Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sutter Health, a not-for-profit integrated healthcare system serving more than 3 million patients across Northern California, announced today it has appointed Warner L. Thomas as its next president and CEO, effective Dec. 1, 2022.  
For the past 10 years, Thomas has served as the president and CEO of Ochsner Health. Ochsner is nationally recognized for its clinical leadership and includes 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 300 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the largest private employer in Louisiana, with 36,000 employees and more than 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. Ochsner also conducts more than 700 clinical research studies each year. During his tenure, Thomas helped grow the organization’s digital health capabilities and value-based payer partnerships – and expanded its integrated care network to serve more than 1.4 million patients each year.
“After a comprehensive national search, we are thrilled to have found the right leader for the next chapter of Sutter Health. Warner is a CEO grounded in Sutter’s community roots and values,” said Gubby Barlow, chair of Sutter Health’s Board of Directors. “As the first external CEO of this organization in more than 40 years, Warner brings a fresh perspective, strategic vision and an exceptional ability to navigate the dynamic healthcare landscape. We look forward to welcoming him to the Sutter Health family.”
Thomas is passionate about community impact and has made critical investments and commitments to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, both within Ochsner and its surrounding communities. This includes the development of a population health focus leading the organization to unprecedented performance in nationally ranked quality results. As part of these efforts, Thomas initiated multiple programs – including a major 10-year Healthy State initiative, with $100 million committed in the first five years – to successfully improve access to quality, equitable healthcare for underserved communities.
“I’m honored to be joining Sutter Health, where I’m committed to furthering its patient-focused mission as a leading not-for-profit integrated healthcare system. As the landscape continues to evolve, I believe there are opportunities for Sutter Health to continue to advance the future of healthcare,” Thomas said. “Leaning on my years of experience growing complex, integrated healthcare systems through developing medical programs, expanding physician networks and creating new payer partnerships, I’m excited to help build on Sutter Health’s past successes. I look forward to helping shape an era of equitable, accessible and affordable healthcare with long-lasting benefits to Sutter Health’s patients and communities in Northern California.”
Known as a grounded-yet-visionary leader, and the first non-physician CEO at Ochsner, Thomas has demonstrated the ability to connect with the physician community by engaging them in the strategic decision-making process, as well as building physician and administrative leadership programs to support the improved delivery of care. Ochsner has been ranked as the No. 1 hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report for over a decade. The organization is also consistently ranked as the top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report and is nationally ranked for its pediatric specialty care. Ochsner was also named one of the “100 Greatest Hospitals in America” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
Thomas values innovation and has driven transformative change to benefit patients and communities in the Gulf South. In his current role, Thomas expanded digital capabilities at Ochsner, from building a robust platform allowing patients to keep track of their information to a comprehensive telemedicine platform. He also created the team that launched innovationOchsner, a think tank and health tech incubator focused on digital health, advanced analytics and personalized medicine.
“In service to Sutter Health’s legacy of caring for patients and deep roots in the community, the Sutter Health Board of Directors chose Warner through a comprehensive, rigorous and transparent search process that included strong involvement and perspective from physicians and senior leaders across the organization,” said Cheryl Scott, a member of the Sutter Health Board of Directors and chair of the Board’s CEO Search Committee. “We’re pleased to have found such a highly-qualified candidate with Warner’s exceptional track record to lead Sutter Health. The Board would also like to thank our interim CEO James Conforti for his significant role this year as a steady hand and steward of the organization.”
Thomas will succeed Conforti, Sutter Health’s chief operating officer who has been serving as interim CEO since January 2022.
 
About Warner L. Thomas
Warner L. Thomas has served as president and CEO of Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest healthcare provider, employer and educator of medical professionals, since 2012 and first joined the organization in 1998 as president and chief operating officer. Today, Ochsner employs 36,000 employees and more than 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies each year. The system coordinates and provides clinical and hospital patient care across the Gulf South region through its 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 300 health centers and urgent care centers. 
With more than 30 years of experience working in complex, integrated healthcare systems, Thomas has an impressive track record and is recognized for his unique combination of strategic vision, operational acumen and focus on innovation. Under Thomas’ leadership, Ochsner has expanded across Louisiana and the Gulf South to become a national and global destination for high-quality healthcare through partnerships with technology companies and other healthcare organizations to scale patient-centered technology and other solutions to bring care closer to home. In five years, Ochsner increased the number of individual patients cared for by 96%, while maintaining a strong financial foundation and an unwavering focus on clinical excellence and performance.
Thomas has spearheaded a population health focus at Ochsner, delivering programs and resources that empower patients to effectively manage chronic conditions while also maintaining focus on preventive measures, screenings and education to help people stay well and avoid preventable disease. Thomas has championed workforce development programs and created academic partnerships with universities and technical colleges across the Gulf South region to build a pipeline of healthcare professionals for generations to come.
Prior to joining Ochsner, Thomas served as the president of Foundation Medical Partners and vice president of Managed Care and Network Development for Southern New Hampshire Health Systems, where he worked for six years managing a multi-specialty physician group and executing network development strategies for a large regional medical center.
Thomas is a current member of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees. He was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in 2014, where he advised Congress on issues affecting Medicare. He has served as chairman of the American Hospital Association Section for Health Systems Governing Council and is a past member of both the Board of the American Medical Group Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges Advisory Panel for Health Care and Council of Teaching Hospitals.
Thomas received an undergraduate degree in accounting and computer information systems from New Hampshire College in Manchester, N.H., and his Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University Graduate School of Management.
About Sutter Health
 Sutter Health’s not-for-profit integrated network of aligned clinicians, employees and volunteers support more than 3 million Northern Californians in communities across 22 counties. Headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., the Sutter Health system provides access to high quality, affordable care through its network of hospitals, medical foundations, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent and walk-in care centers, telehealth, home health and hospice services.
 For more information about the Sutter Health network visit: sutterhealth.org | facebook.com/sutterhealth | youtube.com/sutterhealth | twitter.com/sutterhealth
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