Welcome to this week’s Chutes & Ladders, your roundup of the latest hires, departures, and retirements across the industry.
Week of September 29
> Tim Hingtgen, director and CEO of Community Health Systems, retired on September 30 and began a consulting role with the company’s management team on October 1, according to a regulatory filing.
The transition was first announced earlier this year alongside the company’s second-quarter earnings, with President and CFO Kevin Hammons stepping in as interim CEO.
Hingtgen had been with the company for 18 years, serving as CEO for the past four and a half. In July, he cited personal reasons for his departure, including a wish to spend more time with family and pursue personal goals.
As a consultant, Hingtgen will receive a monthly fee of $33,333.33 from Community Health Systems, per the filing.
> Robert Ritz will retire as president and CEO of MercyOne effective January 2, 2026, concluding four decades of leadership in healthcare.
Ritz joined the West Des Moines, Iowa-based system in 2013 as president of Mercy Des Moines Hospital and was named CEO of Mercy Health Network in 2017, when the network was jointly owned by CommonSpirit Health and Trinity Health.
The system was rebranded as MercyOne in 2019 and fully acquired by Trinity Health in 2022. In 2023, Trinity completed the acquisition of Genesis Health System, which came under Ritz’s oversight as MercyOne Genesis.
During his tenure, MercyOne expanded to include 22,000 employees, 40 owned and affiliated hospitals, and over 4 million patient visits annually.
Trinity Health announced plans to begin the search for Ritz’s successor “in the coming months.”
> Paul Haut, M.D., will assume the role of president of the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) on October 14.
As a pediatric oncologist, Haut will lead the organization’s education and programming efforts in areas such as quality and patient safety, data analytics, and finance. He will also collaborate with CHA CEO Matthew Cook on shaping the association’s strategic direction, priorities, fiscal health, and other goals.
Haut brings two decades of experience from Indiana’s Riley Children’s Health, where he served as chief medical officer and chief operating officer. He later became an associate professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and founded a leadership coaching firm, PRHaut Leadership.
“Paul’s extensive background as a pediatrician specializing in stem cell transplants, medical educator, and hospital executive makes him uniquely qualified to support CHA’s member hospitals,” Cook said. “His broad expertise and deep insight into the challenges facing our hospitals are invaluable to our work, and we look forward to advancing the association with his leadership.”
Week of Sept. 8
> Mike Hulefeld, president and COO of Ochsner Health, will leave his role at the end of the year.
Timothy Riddell, M.D., will succeed Hulefeld upon his departure. Hulefeld has spent 27 years with the New Orleans-based health system, including 13 years as COO and four years as CEO of Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.
Hulefeld started at Ochsner as an administrative fellow and steadily rose through the ranks.
“We are deeply grateful to Mike for over 25 years of dedicated leadership,” said CEO Pete November. “His outstanding commitment has shaped Ochsner’s identity and set a high standard of care.”
After stepping down, Hulefeld will remain involved with Ochsner by mentoring emerging leaders.
Riddell has overseen Ochsner’s hospitals in central Mississippi and eastern Alabama since January 1 and has been part of the system’s medical group for 28 years.
> CVS Health announced several leadership changes within its care delivery division.
Sree Chaguturu, M.D., president of care delivery at CVS, shared on LinkedIn that Signify Health President Paymon Farazi will be leaving the company. He will be succeeded by Marcus Lanznar, senior vice president of product at Signify.
Chaguturu described Lanznar as “well-prepared to lead Signify Health into its next era of growth and excellence.”
Additionally, Jon Thiboutot will assume the role of president for retail health. Thiboutot has held leadership positions at MinuteClinic and within CVS’s chronic care management team. Previously, Creagh Milford held a dual role as president of retail health and president of Oak Street Health.
Chaguturu noted that Thiboutot began his career at CVS as a pharmacist over 20 years ago and has been instrumental in the growth and development of MinuteClinic.
> Craig Albanese, M.D., CEO of Duke University Health System, will leave to join Kaiser Permanente, according to an announcement.
Albanese will start as president of integrated care and coverage at Kaiser on September 29, where he will oversee day-to-day operations of the integrated health system and report directly to CEO Greg Adams.
Before becoming Duke’s CEO, Albanese held several leadership roles there, including chief operating officer. He also served in leadership at NewYork-Presbyterian, notably as chief clinical integration officer during a period of major growth.
Albanese is a pediatric surgeon by training.
“Craig is deeply committed to delivering high-quality care and advancing value-based care,” Adams said. “His extensive leadership, clinical expertise, and operational experience across multiple health systems will strengthen Kaiser Permanente’s operations and help us better serve our members and patients.”
